STORY BEHIND THE ART OF PATRICIA LUPPINO

23rd Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists at Wave Hill

Tulip Fever

Tulipa cv.

Another dying flower arrives at my drawing board this year. This time a tulip. In February. Just before the Coronavirus pandemic hits in earnest in New York. It was one of a dozen I typically purchase weekly from Trader Joe’s to help brighten up the gray winter and hope for spring. 

I loved the shape of this one. I enjoy titling my work before I start, and with the pandemic in the headlines, I decided on “Tulip Fever”. This was not any reference to the Dutch Tulip Fever, but instead this flower looked as though it was holding the back of its little hand to its forehead and was about to swoon, clearly suffering from some ailment or other. It seemed to be a fitting representation of the angst we are feeling worldwide.  

I typically begin by taking many photographs of the specimen using various lighting positions, intensities, and angles. I select the best photos and refine them over many days using Photoshop. Once I have a photo that best matches the subject’s colors and the pose I want to achieve, I will print it out. When I work in colored pencil, I use a handy app called the Color Pencil Picker tool that scans a photo and helps determine, quite accurately, which pencils and combinations of pencils you should use to achieve the colors in the photo. I use the app recommendations as a starting point for a color chart.  

Once transferred to drawing paper (I typically use Sanford Col-erase erasable colored pencils for my outline drawing vs. graphite to avoid any grimy traces), I begin with an underpainting using watercolor pencils, careful to avoid any highlight areas. Completing the drawing requires many layers of colored pencils, referring to my color chart, and using odorless mineral spirits to blend each layer. 

I enjoyed this drawing, especially during this difficult time. My wish to all its viewers…may “Tulip Fever” be the only fever you experience. 

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Read more about this artist’s work: 22nd Annual