“Pelargonium" by Maud Naftel

Pelargonium

Maud Naftel (1856-1890)

1886

Watercolor illustration

Source: Naftel, Plate I

Naftel's instructions are very precise, though much is still left to the would-be artist's judgement. [Commentary continues below].

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This is very much a "how to" book, and Naftel writes in a very practical vein:

The red for the dark petal is made of rose madder, with a little scarlet vermilion; the very dark spot, of crimson lake, Vandyke brown, and indigo, put on while the pink is half moist, so as to give a melting appearance, and prevent the formation of a hard edge. Notice that the centre of the flower has a greenish shade, given by mixing a very little gamboge with the shadow tone; the light petals are of palest rose madder; the centre streaks darker rose madder, or crimson lake. For the greens of the leaves, calyx and stalks, use varying tones of cobalt, raw sienna, and gamboge; for the darker tints, indigo and raw sienna; for the very bright greens, emerald green and gamboge. The pinkish bloom on the top surface is formed by the addition of a little pink mixed with Chinese white, and put on rather dry. [14-17]

Naftel assumes a knowledge of botany, but, equally, she expects the reader to be familiar with the requisite paint colours. Beyond the details of form and palette, she also asks for very close attention to the flower, and particularly its different textures.

Bibliography

Naftel, Maud. Flowers and how to paint them. London: Cassell, 1886; new ed. 1906. Internet Archive. Contributed by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Web. 12 March 2022.

Created 12 March 2022