Two Ways to Draw Flowers

This week I shared two short reels on Instagram that came from two different kinds of looking. One is a quick kōwhai study I drew from life. The other is a loose vase of flowers I made up while I was having a cup of tea. Both are digital sketches, and both started the same way: I noticed something, made a small mark, and then followed where the colour and gesture wanted to go.

How I worked these two sketches

When I draw from life I try to catch one simple truth about the bloom, a tilt or a cluster, with quick marks and a tiny palette. The kōwhai study was about that glowing yellow and the way the flowers bunch together against the busy background. Drawing from life keeps my eye honest and curious.

When I work from imagination I begin with big colour shapes and let the forms talk to each other. For the imagined vase I blocked in colour first, played with texture and then added a few darker lines for fun. Making things up lets me test ideas and surprise myself.

You can view the reels below...

The Flower Focus Observation Game

I turned these sketches into a short, simple activity you can try with children. It is low-prep and great for short attention spans.

There is a printable you can download below to help structure it.

You'll need a flower, or a photo of one. The printout or a piece of paper. Your favourite drawing supplies.

Step 1: Look at your flower 30–60 seconds, no drawing, just looking. Say, "Just look and notice one funny thing."

Step 2: Notice the Silhouette for 60 seconds. Then draw the outside shape, big and simple. No details

Step 3: Notice the Inner shapes for 60 seconds. Then draw the inside of petal shapes, no outlines, notice where they overlap.

Step 4: Gesture: is the flower straight and tall? Is it floppy and droopy? Look for 30 seconds. Draw one sweeping line to show movement and feeling.

Step 5: Catch the Colour. 5 - 10 minutes. Pick three colours that you can see in the flower, a main colour, a shadow colour and a colour for the highlights and lightest places. Block in large colour areas on your page, no outlines, just think about how the colours feel and how the blend together, how they look next to each other.

Step 6: Share 1–2 minutes: name your sketch, and chat about the activity.

Shorten times for little ones. There are no wrong ways to do this activity, the goal is to observe and document the looking.

Why this helps

The mix of quick looking and limited colour choices builds observation, decision making, and creative confidence. It keeps drawing playful and low pressure.

Want more?

If your child enjoys this, the membership has step-by-step video lessons and printable prompts you can download and use at home.

Whether you draw a kōwhai or invent a vase of floral fantasy, flowers are a wonderful, small place to practise seeing and making.

Keep Creating

Meg

Isn't this lovely? Taken from a Spring class a while back, where students were asked to draw from observation.