Sketchbook – Natural Forms

These are some of the organic geometries that intrigue me. All drawn from direct observation, with either graphite pencil or fine-tip pen.

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All images ©Kathryn Chorney.

: Two Cactuses: Mammilaria, and Astrophyta, Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington, Ontario, pigma ink pen.

: Agave, new leaves emerging. New Agave leaves emerge at the center of the plant, each one gradually breaking free of the one surrounding it. You can see the imprint of the surrounding leaf’s ‘jaws’ on the newly-emerged leaf. Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington, Ontario. Pigma ink pen.

: Aloe, Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington, Ontario, graphite pencil.

: Balloon Flower buds in my front garden. Graphite pencil.

: Onions, in my kitchen. Some of these studies led to the onion paintings on the Botanical page of this gallery. Graphite pencil.

: Barite Crystals, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto. Two views of the same barite mineral crystal. Graphite pencil.

: Sandstone Concretion and Sea Anemones. I’ve mashed-up two sketchbook pages here — always wanted to see these two together; for some reason they remind me of each other. On the left is part of a sandstone concretion, a type of mineral crystal, from the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum. On the right is a group of sea anemones that I drew at Ripley’s Aquarium, Toronto. Both graphite pencil.