This Only Happens Once a Year

Read the accompanying post with FREE reference photos:   / 144664786  

This cactus blooms only once a year, and its flower lasts just one day. When it opened, I spent the whole day studying, photographing, and filming it so I could paint the contrast that struck me the most: the duality between its fragile, inviting flower and its dark, thorn-covered body.

In this video, I take you through my entire artistic process, from graphite sketches and composition studies to color tests, ink drawing, and the final piece on hot-pressed watercolor paper. You’ll see how I explored unity and contrast, softness and sharpness, light and darkness, all within a single plant.

If you enjoy botanical art, nature-inspired drawings, or art created by humans, this video will give you a close look at how I observe, study, and translate the natural world into art using traditional materials.

I’m considering creating a limited and numbered edition of high-quality prints of this artwork. If you want early access, subscribe to Letters from the Forest, my biweekly email with updates from my art studio in the Atlantic Forest: https://newsletter.liacaldas.art

Thank you to my Patrons for supporting my work and helping me continue creating art videos. 🙏❤️   / liacaldas  

🎥 My Nature playlist:    • My Nature  

🎥 Videos using colored graphite pencils (Derwent Graphitint):
   • Three Chimneys made with Graphite and Water  
   • Three Chimneys from Barcelona  

🎥 Videos using Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils:
   • Drawing an Intricate City with Fineliners ...  

🎥 Videos using Fineliners:
   • Sketching on Location – 10 Simple Tips for...  
   • Sketching a Stunning Leafless Tree  
   • The Simple Joy of Drawing Trees  
   • Fallen Tree Study in My Sketchbook  
   • The Beauty of a Fallen Tree  
   • Drawing Matera with Pen and Ink. But is it...  
   • Drawing an Intricate City with Fineliners ...  

Materials used:
– Nostalgie sketchbook by Hahnemühle (A5 sized, landscape) https://amzn.to/3Un8WkD
– Tombow MONO Drawing pencils https://amzn.to/3Ho6FCW
– Caran d’Ache Grafwood pencils https://amzn.to/47JvPVz
– Pentel Graphgear 500 0.3 mechanical pencil https://amzn.to/3LQfsiN
– Pentel Graphgear 500 0.5 Mechanical pencil https://amzn.to/4mBdlfO
– Faber-Castell kneadable eraser https://amzn.to/3VpP3db
– Faber-Castell Polychromos 120 colored pencils https://amzn.to/47xesbO
– Derwent Graphitint Water-soluble Colored Graphite Pencils set https://amzn.to/4ikA1jH
– Derwent Super Point Manual Helical Pencil Sharpener https://amzn.to/4nFSxnt
– Pentel Pocket Brush Pen https://amzn.to/4ikwceh
– Staedtler Pigment Liners https://amzn.to/45JM19G
– Sakura Micron fineliners https://amzn.to/3UplVlX
– Hahnemühle Harmony watercolor paper, hot pressed, 300g/m2 https://amzn.to/44nSsOx
– Master Class Professional Gouache by Nevskaya Palitra (I used only titanium white) https://amzn.to/43QwzqX
– SAKURA Gelly Roll Basic White Gel Pen Set of 3 https://amzn.to/48yMvkV
– Drawing tablet with screen (pen display): Wacom Cintiq 16 https://amzn.to/4gfD23P
– Japanese and Chinese calligraphy brushes
– India Ink / China Ink

Affiliate Disclosure
This video is NOT sponsored. Some links are affiliate links, which means that, at no extra cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them. Thank you for supporting my art!

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:55 First Sketch
02:28 Second Sketch
03:30 Colored Pencil Study
05:19 Colored Graphite Pencil (Graphitint) Study
07:49 Ink Drawing
13:25 Last Act: The Final Painting
19:53 The Reveal
20:57 Final Thoughts

Thanks for watching! You might also enjoy:
🌿 Patreon:   / liacaldas  
💌 Letters from the Forest: https://newsletter.liacaldas.art/
🌟 Instagram:   / liacaldas  
🎥 TikTok:   / lia.caldas  
🌐 Website: https://liacaldas.art

🎥 All my videos:    • Videos by Lia  

#NatureArt #ArtProcess #Drawing