Spotlight: Paula Dabbs

EXPANDING THE ROOTS

by Paula Dabbs

 

I am still fairly new at botanical illustration so I really appreciate the classes at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens for helping me to "expand my roots."  The first botanical illustration I ever did was in Celeste Johnston's Beginning Botanical illustration class and she literally had us start with the roots!  I never thought I'd be able to draw all the tiny parts of the poinsettia's roots, but it ended up being one of my favorite drawings.  

Poinsettia Roots - graphite on paper

 

The most recent class I took at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens was Celeste Johnston's class called "Expanding the Roots."  In this class, the students put a contemporary twist on traditional botanical illustration.  I chose to illustrate one of my favorite plants, the bird-of-paradise.  I wanted to place it in the context of where it grows naturally, so I framed it with aqua blue colors that would suggest a tropical sky and water.  I hope the finished painting reminds viewers of sunny days in warm locations! 

 Strelitzia reginae  -  colored ink on watercolor paper

 

I enjoyed playing with the complementary colors of orange and blue and had fun making a little color chart while I worked on the painting.

Complementary Squares - colored ink on watercolor paper