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How To Draw Marigolds

Updated on December 24, 2012

Do you like to garden and/or draw? If so, then many of the plants and flowers in your garden can serve as inspiration for your art projects. This year I have started another container garden, and I used the marigolds as the subject for my latest colored pencil illustration. Marigold flowers are bright and cheery and make the perfect flowers to draw this spring. If you buy marigolds at the local garden store, then these are easy to plant in a container. One of the pluses to planting marigolds is all the blossoms, which will give you a constant stream of new ideas for your art projects this spring. If drawing marigolds are not your cup of tea, you could always draw a picture of roses or some other fragrant flower blossoming in your garden.

A drawing of marigolds based on the one I planted in a container in my patio garden.
A drawing of marigolds based on the one I planted in a container in my patio garden. | Source
A drawing of marigolds based on the ones I planted in a container.
A drawing of marigolds based on the ones I planted in a container. | Source
These marigolds in the planter were the reference for my sketch.
These marigolds in the planter were the reference for my sketch. | Source
Beginning to sketch out the marigolds.
Beginning to sketch out the marigolds. | Source

The beginning of the process of sketching the marigold is to focus on creating the curvature of the container these are planted in. I am using a reference photograph where the angle I am looking down on the marigolds is directly above it. It makes for an interesting angle, and allows me to focus primarily on the flowers. I have used artistic license to change the color of the container in my sketch, but that is part of the fun of being an artist.

Here I begin to draw the leaves on the marigold.
Here I begin to draw the leaves on the marigold. | Source

As I draw the leaves on the marigolds I notice these are serrated.

Coloring in the first marigold with gold and reddish tones.
Coloring in the first marigold with gold and reddish tones. | Source

After I finished drawing all of the details of the flowers and leaves on the marigolds, I used colored pencils to color these in.

Adding more orange and yellow tones to the marigolds.
Adding more orange and yellow tones to the marigolds. | Source

Marigolds are often multihued flowers, and thus I often find a combination of yellows, reds, fiery orange, and tangerine colors all on the petals of the same flower. The burnishing method with colored pencils works well for bringing all the melding the colors together as I fill in each flower.

The half-way point is reached now that I have finished coloring in most of the marigolds.
The half-way point is reached now that I have finished coloring in most of the marigolds. | Source

Reaching the half-way point of a drawing is always exciting for me because this means I can begin to see real progress. In the photograph above most of the marigolds have been colored in with colors ranging from yellow, orange, and red shades, and the serrated shaped leaves have also been colored in with using a range of green colored pencils. White colored pencil is also applied to the petals of the marigolds and the leaves to achieve the burnish effect with the colored pencils.

All of the marigolds and the foliage has been colored in.
All of the marigolds and the foliage has been colored in. | Source

In the photograph above I have finished coloring in the flowers and the foliage of the marigold. Now it is time to fill in the dirt.

The soil has been colored in.
The soil has been colored in. | Source

In this step of the drawing the soil has finally been colored in and the picture is beginning to take more shape.

Here I have colored in the pot with a copper colored pencil
Here I have colored in the pot with a copper colored pencil | Source

In the photo above I colored in the container that the marigolds are planted in with a copper colored pencil. I use a bit of a white colored pencil to make the rim of the pot stand out in the illustration.

The marigolds are completely colored in.
The marigolds are completely colored in. | Source

Above is the sketch of the marigold before I pulled the drawing out of my notebook. Drawing a picture in a spiral sketch book such as this one is helpful because you can carry it around.

The framed marigold drawing hanging on the wall.
The framed marigold drawing hanging on the wall. | Source

You can purchase affordable frames to put your artwork in. There is no need to spend lots of money on framed art when you decide to draw your own pictures of marigolds.

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