Story behind the art of Crystal Soojeong Shin

29th Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists and the Society of Illustrators

Autumn Leaf "Perseverance"

Pyrus calleryana

I found this leaf on my morning walk on one of Seattle’s wet November days after a night of heavy rain. It was quite a small leaf, but it jumped out at me like a glowing jewel - lots of damage, blotches, decaying spots, and holes, but radiating a bright red hue through the sunlight. It was hard not to notice. Those markings made me imagine all those heavy rains and winds, fungal infections, and insect pests that the leaf had had to endure. 

I am attracted to damaged and scarred subjects. Those wounds and deformations make the subject one of a kind and show how they fought for life – their strength, resilience, and perseverance. Many botanical subjects have scars and flaws that inspire my curiosity about their life stories. This autumn leaf was one of them.

I deliberately chose to record every blemish and scar, as those are the very things that attracted me. The leaf was only just over two inches; I decided to enlarge its size about three times. I had never done that prior to this project, so I was unsure how it would turn out, but I had to give it a try as it would allow me to study the leaf veins closely. 

Whenever I look at leaves, I am amazed by how the venation is intricately formatted throughout the leaf surface. How complex they are! This is a living organism, a vital system, carrying water and nutrients that are essential to the plant’s life and growth. While flowers take all the glory and attention, leaves do their job quietly and diligently. Leaf veins always remind me of the veins on the human body – while breathing, moving, playing, sleeping, the veins never stop working. 

It is fascinating to look at veins, but it can be challenging to draw them convincingly. I remember my teacher saying, “Don’t try to draw every single vein. It would look like a satellite photo.” I see wisdom in that and I teach that concept to my students as well. But for the last few years, my approach has been to depict veins with as much detail as I can to understand their structure better. Enlargement is perfect for studying them closely. I enjoyed drawing the tiny changes in angles and widths of the veins, although at many times it was confusing and strenuous. The scars and bruises were a visual guide, helping me to keep track of where I was drawing – how can I not love them? 

Autumn leaves are also one of my favorite subjects because of their colors. They can hold so many colors in one small place. Even one tiny section in between tertiary veins may turn into blazing red, while the neighboring section may become yellowish red, then green and brown. The delicate shift of hue and temperature found on the leaves is mesmerizing. To capture that, and achieve luminosity and intensity of colors, I may layer ten or more colors in one section. My desk gets filled with more than 100 pencils lying around. I hold multiple pencils in my left hand, while observing each section carefully, choosing my pencils intuitively.

I also like trying out new things, exploring different papers and approaches. For this leaf, I took a risk by using a new paper, Hahnemühle hot press, which I was unfamiliar with. This soft and fibrous paper required a completely different approach and technique. I increased the pressure of my hand, not using my usual gentle touch, and began with softer, waxy pencils in loose application to reveal the paper texture. Experimenting, I learned that I could speed up the process by using light washes of watercolor pencil as a first layer.  I incised nearly every vein, using different sizes of embossing styluses with varying pressures, taking many hours to do only that.

When you try a new method, there is more uncertainty with less control, frustration when mistakes can’t be fixed, and disappointment when the result doesn’t turn out well. However, if I keep pushing through those hurdles and challenges, I get satisfaction from solving a problem, and joy from ah-ha moments when I unexpectedly discover new techniques. Those difficult moments also connect me to my autumn leaf subject more deeply, reminding me what this little guy may have endured to become this beautiful one-of-a-kind. 

This autumn leaf drawing truly reflects what I am attracted to, the way I work, and who I am, persevering through life’s challenges, trials and errors. 

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