Paper Flowers Last Longer - A Ballpoint Drawing for my Love

Written by Rolf

When I asked my girlfriend what she would like for her birthday, she did not have to think long before she exclaimed she wanted me to make her a drawing. I figured a work of art would last longer than a dinner or a bouquet, and people often appreciate a personalized gift.

Since I don't live in a flower garden, the first thing I had to do, was find a random photograph of stylishly arranged flowers. I decided on this bouquet of white lillies and flowers. I believe it's officially a bridal bouquet, but I'm sure she'll think nothing of it.

Next I made a sort of grid on the paper with light pencil lines, so that the space was divided into 8x8 blocks for easy spatial reference. I did the same with the digital image. You can see the grid on the first few images.

Then I got out my cheap but trusty Bic ballpoints, a black and a green one, and started drawing the outlines of a couple of flowers before filling them and giving them depth and shadow.

The hardest thing was to stay focused and disciplined and maintain a steady quality of work for 20 to 30 hours. When I was done with the ballpoint pens, I did some subtle shading with a B pencil around the bouquet to make the flowers more vibrant, and standing out more.

(pictures taken with my mobile phone)