I've been collecting specimens 1-2 times a week for my classes, so I ended up with more than what I needed for finals and classwork. I did two specimens in #104 crow quill, Narthecium americanum and Dendrolycopodium sp. I accentuated thick and thin lines better in the Narthecium drawing, but I put about 2 days of work (5 drawings including tracings and transfers) into the Dendrolycopodium. I don't want to choose which one to turn in, so I think I will submit both.
#102 crow quill is used for hatch/cross hatch, so that is what I used for the blue entoloma mushroom, Calliderma indigofera. It's very strange for me to see it in Pen & Ink. Although I think I rendered it truthfully, the coloration fights with the ideal pattern of scientific light on form. The lower stipe was pure white, but scientific lighting would force this area to look much darker and compete with the candy-striping on the upper stipe. I did it initially in watercolor, because the blue entoloma is a rare mushroom and I didn't want to miss the chance of working from a live specimen. I haven't seen many publications with mushrooms in Pen & Ink, even my oldest fungi books have photographs. I would like to do another specimen in #102 crow quill before I decide to submit this one.
My stippled subjects are an earth star fungi and the fruit of Peltandra virginica. I could go darker on the earth star fungi, but it looks like it's been freshly unfurled and saturated by a heavy rain.
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