Essential contour study of my favourite flower, the lotus

In my sketchbook today, I returned to a very essential contour and value study — about 15 minutes — of one of my absolute favorite motifs and favorite flowers: the incredible lotus flower.

I didn’t have much time to draw today, so I stripped it all the way back and focused entirely on following the intricate paths of the lines — the contours — from a photograph. A fairly complex photo, with a lotus flower surrounded by all its beautifully layered petals.

I began by very briefly sketching in the overall form of the lotus and the flower head — maybe just 10 seconds or so. Then I shifted into a very particular mode, where you fully dedicate yourself to following the movement of the lines and contours.

Some people call this kind of drawing blind drawing, and it almost is. But at this level, you do still look quite a bit at the drawing — and a lot at the reference — because otherwise it simply isn’t possible to get anything meaningful down on the paper in a drawing like this.

This is a way of drawing I practiced a lot earlier in my life, and something I often feel a strong desire to return to more deeply. A very raw and pared-down way of drawing that reveals the true structure and beauty of things. That’s how I experience it, at least, when I encounter a subject through pure contour drawing.

These 15 minutes of contour drawing actually became a wonderful little breathing space. Really, really lovely to draw in this way. And it makes me want to do more of it.

I love all kinds of drawing. Fast drawing, slow drawing, naturalistic drawing, expressive drawing, very precise drawing, raw and spontaneous drawing. I love it all. For me, drawing is a spectrum — made up of many, many different facets and ways of experiencing both the world around me and my imagination, of course.

So as always, I wish you a lovely drawing time. Try to draw a little every day, if you can. It’s often the smallest things that count — even the tiniest drawings. Everything counts, and everything goes into your drawing experience bank.

Wishing you lots of drawing joy. And as always, come and show me what you’ve drawn today.