To draw a garden when I'm not an artist

I keep telling myself I can learn to draw,  but I seem to be proving the contrary. Any advice? These are some of the steps in building keyhole garden.

Good efforts Nathanael.

I think drawings 1, 2 and 3 are fine - they illustrate the construction nicely. It looks like you are having trouble with the plants though! It seems that you are concentrating on the outlines of the plants, rather than the structure of them. This may work well for block colour or simple outlines, but doesn't seem to work for the line drawing.

Maybe some practice looking at plants growing, or copying photos of individual and groups of plants would help. They don't need to look real, you just need to find the style that works for you.

You drew the perspective quite well, I'd say these are good drawings! The last one is a bit "overcrowded" maybe, but together with the other drawings it makes sense.

I believe you have artistic abilities ...

Great looking drawing.

I can't draw either, but i can garden and the plants do all the hard work

Not an artist? I beg to differ.

I can sketch pretty good depending on my mood and what it is, but I definitely could not draw that as well as you did.

I'll echo Nancy - the first three are quite good. The vining plant on the left in the third one and the keyhole are still very good - it's only those plants on top, in that one, that become a bit... heavy/ overbearing, to the rest.

I think these diagrams are excellent.  I agree with the other comments that the last one loses definition in trying to show the plants.  Maybe rather then introducing the plants themselves a series of numbers would do the job, together with a key to ID them - a bit like a map, and include the relative heights of each.  A "drone's eyeview"  = plan - with the numbers could help simplify.

Thank you all for your encouraging and helpful input!

Nancy Reading wrote:
Maybe some practice looking at plants growing, or copying photos of individual and groups of plants would help. They don't need to look real, you just need to find the style that works for you.

I think you're right. *sigh*, work.

Flora Eerschay wrote:You drew the perspective quite well, I'd say these are good drawings! The last one is a bit "overcrowded" maybe, but together with the other drawings it makes sense.

It is overcrowded. But my garden is too!!

Martin Mikulcik wrote:I can't draw either, but i can garden and the plants do all the hard work

And I have always contended that gardening is the greatest art--a living art!

Tyler Grace wrote:Not an artist? I beg to differ.

:-)

Carla Burke wrote:I'll echo Nancy - the first three are quite good. The vining plant on the left in the third one and the keyhole are still very good - it's only those plants on top, in that one, that become a bit... heavy/ overbearing, to the rest.

Got it. So the vine kinda sorta looks like a plant, but those that don't look like plants should go. I'll take that as a good litmus test.

Jill Dyer wrote:I think these diagrams are excellent.  I agree with the other comments that the last one loses definition in trying to show the plants.  Maybe rather then introducing the plants themselves a series of numbers would do the job, together with a key to ID them - a bit like a map, and include the relative heights of each.  A "drone's eyeview"  = plan - with the numbers could help simplify.

Well, "excellent" is very generous! I think your above view is a good idea for showing planting layout. Here I'm just trying to give an impression of what it can become. This is for a book I'm trying to write, and plant layouts come in a different section.

Anne Miller wrote:I believe you have artistic abilities ...

Great looking drawing.

To be honest, I am kind of an artist, but my art is calligraphy, not living things. Like:

Today's progress.  Still looking busy?

Your plants are LOVELY!!

Aw thanks :-) Guess I'll keep going with it then.

I agree with Carla - you're doing great! The only thing I would add is that you need to find the level of simplicity that works for what you are trying to illustrate. The size and diversity of the plants and leaves, the direction of the sun, the way they cling to a structure, or whatever. I found this website by Erin Lau which you may find interesting on drawiing gardens for a colouring book.

I would suggest that it is also nice to include some element that adds the observer - a bucket or a pair of gloves for example, and nature - a bug or a bird.