Blooming Hearts

Nov 17

It all started with a fun “Inktober” alternative challenge by creative teacher Peggy Dean, where the prompt was to draw some of the world’s most poisonous flowers. I thought it would be a fun endeavour, so I started to research the flowers on the list. Some of them I knew, others were new to me, so in order to keep my research tidy, I obviously created an inspiration-filled Pinterest board.

While trying to decide what style to use to draw the flowers, I remembered an old heart that I drew about 5-6 years ago. I filled an anatomical heart shape with a mandala-style motif. At the time, I had a gift shop, and I created some tote bags and stickers.

A denim tote with white handles, with a white heart illustration filled with a mandala motif. It is resting on a stone and iron surface.

The OG anatomical heart mandala on a denim tote bag

I used the original hand-drawn heart and re-did it in Procreate on my iPad. I erased the mandala design, so it was ready to be filled with toxic blooms!

I can tell you that I felt a little unsure while drawing the first prompt (Snowdrops). But as soon as I decided on the color palette and brushes that I would use, the cute little innocent-looking snowdrops just came to life, and from then on, there was no stopping me! I felt the need to draw more than I had in the past few months. I carried my iPad everywhere and drew whenever I got the chance. I sometimes like to listen to audiobooks while drawing, and this time I was immersed in the world of El Capitán Alatriste, by Arturo Pérez Reverte. Very fitting, considering it is an adventurous story set in the XVII century, when it is said that poison was commonly used to get rid of enemies.

There were 11 bloom prompts in total, and by the end, I felt like I needed an extra one to complete a set of 12. You can look at the whole collection in my portfolio section. But here is a sneak peek along with a smile:

Artist Elsa L. Moreno is showing her colorful Blooming Heart illustration collection on her iPad.

A happy artist sharing her toxic blooms collection

I’m thinking of creating a calendar with the full Blooming Hearts collection, and of course, I couldn’t help but starting to create patterns with the blooms. I have only completed one, but I’m sure I will make a pattern to accompany each blooming heart!