Illustrating Plants. Fascination through Observation

When you wake up on a Saturday morning, have breakfast, then freshen up, the next possible activity to do is something to make you feel refreshed and experience something different–or maybe stay in bed all day long. But when you live on an island empowered by its creative nature, doing something involving creativity is part of the choice.

Illustrating Plants: Fascination through Observation is our most recent one-time workshop collaboration with a German master’s student in Art and Design, Manuel Steincke. Friends from our community and new faces who share a passion for creativity joined this workshop.

Manuel + Plants

Manuel came to our place with a coleus plant in his hands. His hair and its leaves have a similar colour, making the two blend intentionally. Manuel mentioned he used to work as a gardener for many years and has always been passionate about plants. He can notice and acknowledge every part of the plants around him, shares his knowledge about plants, and with that, you can tell that he loves his thing. 

Besides his love for plants, art has also played a part in his life. Manuel mainly works in illustration, and he wanted to have a moment where he could meet other creatives in Bali to see different approaches through plant observation.

Observing Plants Around You

The coleus plant he brought along is one of the main observation objects in the workshop, followed by other plants found in our place. Coleus is known as a type of shrub, and I have mostly seen it as a houseplant. Its leaves are ovate and have a reddish colour, which reminds me of poison ivy. 

Our workshop friends are challenged with a series of timed drawing sessions, and it gets shorter over time. Throughout each session, we discover how differently we observe due to period limitations. The longer the time, the more we see. The shorter the time, the less we notice. To notice less does not mean it leads to a bad outcome; instead, it sharpens our instinct to capture what truly matters.

Storytelling through Plant Illustration

We are invited to transform a word of choice describing a plant’s characteristic into illustrations. This part is where we are exploring our conscious, imaginative state of mind. Ideas flowing like the wind whispered through each leaf. The word ‘restless’ transforms into multiple illustrations that represent one’s character. Expressing the mind and memories it has gathered over time. 

We then form groups of three to create fun and collaborative plant drawings. Imagine plants in a cartoon show, where their roots, stems, and leaves stand out distinctly. Each person contributes their artistic style, resulting in the wildest and imaginative plants we can think of.

Where Global Creatives Connect

The Illustrating Plants workshop brings together local and international creatives from diverse backgrounds who work in both traditional and digital art forms. It fosters a positive dynamic and collaborative spirit for sharing knowledge of their specialities and approaches to plant illustration. While such interactions often occur during art festivals or other curated events, workshops are typically centred on teaching a specific skill. This workshop not only emphasises learning illustration but also aims to create a space for connection and sharing among participants.

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