Begin with a loose sketch, mapping the basic outlines - stem, leaves, flower head, vase. It starts similar to the daisy.

The petals of a rose can be quite tricky, so map out the outside with a circle, mark where your center is, and then work towards the center. Don't just count them :) Make sure the outside of the petals are accurate if you wish to make all the other petals fit on the inside.

Little by little it will take shape. Lots of adjustments here and there should be expected, so if it takes some time, don't worry. Enjoy the process.

Sometimes I think certain points in the flower as an "landmark" or "anchor" when lots of "line action" seems to happen around that area. I make sure that those important areas are the most accurate so as to not throw off the other lines that depend on it. For example,  I may notice that several petals may touch a landmark's right side and base, or, the center of the flower is the starting point of every petal, etc. It's good to double-check your subject, study it often, and keep things in proportion to each other.

Fill in the "chunks" of dark, medium-darks, and all the shades in between. I've used the cross-hatching technique to shade. Sometimes I'll let the curve of the petal dictate how I lay down my lines. Kind of like a plaid blanket resting on a wavy surface. Some lines radiate from the center, others curve and bend.

The leaves are shaded with diagonal lines all headed the same direction. I did not draw much of the vase because I did not feel that it added to the rose. Nothing needs to be overly complex or detailed. Some of the simplest drawings can speak volumes because of what they say, not how they say it.

Once you've finished tweaking and shading everything, erase the smudges from around your drawing.

Ta-da! There's your rose!

"An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; an adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered." -G.K. Chesterton

"Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese." -G. K. Chesterton

This week's lesson is on drawing flowers.

I'm gonna use a daisy. :)

Most flowers may be begun and mapped out with a circle. Draw the basic shape of the center first and then the limits of the petals (see photo above). When looking at your flower you may notice that the petals do not form a perfect circle. Loosely sketch the little quirks and direction the petals are heading (as in photo below).

Look closely at your specimen.
Don't count and draw every petal - it'll take the fun out of drawing. I must confess, I rarely count anything unless it's really important. Notice that the petals growing toward you may look much shorter than the other petals. Also take a look at the the center - there is a neat spiral pattern that you may wish to sketch in.

If your flower is in a vase, the flower probably isn't standing straight up. If it's leaning over, don't let yourself draw a perfectly upright flower. That tilt could bring a flare of natural life to your work.

Add the details. No need to rush.
 
Add shadows and shading.

Shade the stem and leaves. (All the above photos were done in a black colored pencil, which is hard to completely erase. The one below is in a regular drawing pencil, and the last has black colored pencil for darker shading.)

As you fine-tune the flower, erase some of the extra-sketchy lines. If you have a B pencil, try darkening some of the shading, but not too much. Keep it light and delicate.

And after that's all done, top it off with the flower's name, the date, and your name.
  
VOILA!
You have drawn a flower!

This first set of cylinders was shaded by using the side of a pencil. As you can see, I applied each level of darkness in layers, the lightest on first, and darkest last. Be sure that as you layer, you leave a bit of the previous layer peeking out from behind the one you are laying down. What I mean is, the lightest value will cover the most area, and the darkest will cover the least. Holding your pencil over-handed helps you to get a different angle than you are used to. With the side of the pencil's "lead" directly on the paper, you get a much broader stroke, covering more area, and more possibilities. Play around with this technique - it's really fun!

 

A third group of cylinders will be used to show another way to hatch. Instead of drawing the lines all in the same direction, in "cross-hatching" each set of lines goes in a slightly different direction. You can see another example of cross-hatching in my header.

Cross-hatching with 90º angles, or in a confused order, gives a disjointed felling.
 THIS IS NOT THE WAY -
PLEASE DO NOT CROSS-HATCH THIS WAY
~~~
THIS IS THE WAY-
With each darker set of lines, the further back they will recede from the light, and the steeper the angle of the lines become.

Remember - consistency is key, so if you use one technique to shade, use the same for the shadow. Of course while practicing and playing around, mixing them up is fine, but for a final piece you'll want continuity.

I hope this makes sense - if not, just leave a comment and I'll try to answer you questions.

Now, as you look at the egg again, notice how the top left side is much darker than the top right side. You can almost see where the egg is divided from light to dark, with medium darks and lights in between. Think of those areas as "chunks" of light and dark. In the drawing above, I "mapped out" where those chunks are. Draw them softly enough to not be noticed later on.

Fill in those areas carefully, making sure you aren't just "coloring it in."
Our light source is coming from the upper right. When the light hits the egg, it is bathed in brightness. That spot is called the "highlight." You won't need to shade anything there. Though the egg is in the light, it is blocking a portion of light from reaching the table it sits on. The "darkness" on the left side of the egg is shaded. The absence of light on the table is the egg's shadow.

It is best to put down the darkest value first to help you keep in perspective the mid-tones. (That would be the "grays" in between black and white.) Also, take notice of the bottom of the egg. Is the bottom left side as dark as the top left? No, actually it is much brighter because the table is reflecting the light right back up at the egg! So watch out for those easily-darkened "chunks." You may have a reflection that could really make your drawing pop off the page!

You may be wondering, "Shouldn't the whole back of the egg be the darkest part?" Well, aside from the reflections, shadows can overlap, making some portions a little darker than others. Also, with the shadows right next to the light on the table there will be more contrast, making the darks appear even darker.

Remember when shading that you don't want your lines to be streaky.  An egg is round, so any lines that you would want to been seen should have the illusion of wrapping around the egg. This can be easily accomplished with curved strokes. Soften the shadows and clean up any unruly lines or smudges that would distract from your finished work and--

--Viola!
You've shaded an egg!