Awhile back, at the end of “Pets in Space”, I mentioned that maybe I would do a “Whimsical Flowers” post sometime. And, in keeping with the fact that this is after all supposed to be an “art-related” blog, I probably should do an occasional  art-related post.

Here you see an example of the classic whimsical flowers. This is a detail from the larger work (doesn’t that sound artistic?) entitled “Bees and Pink Flowers”, which you may already have seen elsewhere in this blog. You will notice that whimsical flowers generally, but not always, have whimsical insects on or around them. For more info on how to draw whimsical insects, click here.It would be well to mention here that whimsical insects are usually smiling. This is because “whimsical always makes you feel better”. There’s just something about being whimsical that makes these insects want to smile. And that, in turn, cheers you up.

You will note that whimsical flowers do not have to be shaped like regular flowers,  nor do they have to have the same colors as regular flowers. This is part of what makes them so much easier to draw. I have tried my hand at drawing realistic looking flowers and I can safely say that for me, whimsical is easier!

In the photos below you can see the progression of a garden I did for my grandson when I spent several days “snowed in” while visiting them in Nevada. That was truly an unexpected adventure! I will say that the color isn’t as vivid in the photos as it is in the actual drawing. But you can get the idea.

So you see that you basically just need to draw outlines, then start coloring in with bright and whimsical colors. My favorite pens for this type of drawing are the Sakura Moonlight gel pens. I like the way they look like paint, if you get all the tiny white spots filled in. You can also go onto Photoshop or a similar program to match the colors and fill them in digitally if you just don’t want to color for that long. But then you need to have the patience to mess with photo editing, and to me that can get frustrating.

Remember that whimsical flowers don’t just have to be on paper. These are some small stepping stones from over the summer. If you own your home, (or if you have a super-forgiving landlord) you can even paint whimsical flowers on the sidewalks in your backyard! I haven’t gotten far with this project, but if I ever do, I’m sure you will hear about it.

Another perk to owning your own home is that if you have a creative grandson you can paint whimsical flowers on your bathroom door! (Consider the picture below a “preview” to an upcoming post: “Whimsical Door Part 2”. )
You’ve seen my attempts at watercolor flowers in “Friends”, but I thought I would throw them in here because, after all, watercolor can be whimsical too.

Doodle flowers are always fun for me. I feel like I have  more control over what is happening with doodles than I do with watercolors.

There is no end to the possibilities that await you if you decide to try drawing whimsical flowers. They don’t even have to be done with ink or paints. If you ever need something to make you feel better and you have a pencil, go for it!

There is a not-so-whimsical story behind this one, which any public school teacher at the middle school level can appreciate. In fact, if you are or have ever been one, you have only to read the title and you’ve got all you need to know. More on this later.

(Sorry about that, 2nd Period!)