Black-eyed Susan in three-quarter viewYellow rays round a domed cone, brown or black. Shade the dome as a ball so it stands proud of the flat rays.
Blanket flower head tilted, fifteen rays or moreGaillardia heads carry fifteen or more rays. Tilt the disc into an ellipse; near rays overlap it, far ones hide.
Chamomile with its rays folded downWhite rays, yellow disc on a hollow, swollen base. Let the centre rise as a cone while the rays hang like a skirt.
Common daisy closed for the night, side viewThe white rays are often tipped red, which shows best when they fold up. One leafless stem carries one head.
Common daisy seen from straight aboveWhite rays round a yellow disc. Daisy comes from day's eye: the head shuts by night and opens in the morning.
Coreopsis face on with toothed ray tipsYellow rays with a toothed tip. Square each ray end off and cut small teeth into it instead of rounding it.
Cornflower in side view, outer florets flaringA few big ray florets spread in a ring round a central cluster, intense blue. Each outer floret flares like a horn.
Show all 120 ideas (113 more)
Daisy type: rays round a disc, continued
Cosmos flower face on with eight raysGarden cosmos mostly has eight broad ray florets. Clock-face them: four at the quarters, four in between.
Daisy chain of seven heads, stems threadedEach stem passes through a slit in the next. Turn the heads face on, side on and away so the chain is not stamped.
Dandelion clock with seeds blowing offThe spherical seed head is called a blowball or clock. Draw a circle guide, then stalks tipped with tiny stars.
Dandelion flower head seen from aboveA dandelion head is all ray florets, no disc. Pack narrow straps in rings, shortest in the middle.
Edelweiss from above, a woolly double starFive to six small yellow florets ringed by fuzzy white bracts in a double star. Soften every edge; the plant is woolly.
Gerbera face on with two rows of raysStrap-shaped rays. Draw a long outer row, then a shorter inner row in the gaps, all aimed at one centre point.
Oxeye daisy tilted three-quartersFifteen to forty white rays. Tilted, the disc becomes an ellipse and the near rays foreshorten to stubs.
Pot marigold half open, rays still cuppedThe name marigold honours Mary. Half open, the rays curve in like a cup: draw the cup first, then split it into straps.
Purple coneflower with rays swept backEchinacea rays spread, reflex or droop round a raised cone. Draw the cone as a dome, then hang the rays from its rim.
Sunflower drooping with seeds set, side viewWhat looks like one flower is a head of many florets; the disc ones become the seeds. Hang the head from a bent neck.
Sunflower head face on with seed spiralsDisc florets sit in crossing spirals, typically 34 one way and 55 the other. Draw the curves first, then dot along them.
Zinnia in side view, domed with stacked raysZinnia heads run from a single row of rays to a dome shape. Stack the rows like shingles, each shorter than the last.
Saucers, cups and bells 22
Bluebell stem nodding to one sideA nodding, one-sided spray of 5 to 12 tubular flowers with strongly recurved tips. Curve the stem over like a crook.
Buttercup from above with a mirror shineUsually five petals, often highly lustrous: the smooth surface reflects like a mirror. Leave a hard white highlight.
California poppy closed up on a cold dayFour silky petals that shut at night or in cold wind. Furl them into one pointed twist, like an umbrella.
Cherry blossom cluster on a twigDraw five round petals per flower and a starburst of stamens. Overlap several flowers and leave two as closed buds.
Columbine in side view with five spursFive petals and five sepals; the petals run back into nectar spurs. Draw five hooked horns behind a star.
Common poppy face on, four red petalsFour vivid red petals that slightly overlap, commonly with a black spot at the base. The stem has coarse hairs.
Common poppy seed capsule with its flat capThe capsule is hairless and egg-shaped, under twice as tall as wide, capped by a stigma at least as wide as itself.
Crocus closed like a candle flameCup-shaped, six tepals, tapering off into a narrow tube. Draw a flame that thins straight down toward the soil.
Forget-me-not sprig with a coiled tipFlat blue faces 1 cm or less, the centre ringed by yellow bumps. The spray unrolls from a coil, buds at the curled end.
Fuchsia flower hanging like an earringA pendulous teardrop: four long slender sepals flare back over four shorter, broader petals.
Grape hyacinth spike like a bunch of grapesDense spikes of blue urn-shaped flowers like bunches of grapes. Draw a cone of small ovals, tightest at the top.
Harebell on a hair-thin stalk, side viewFive petals fused into a bell, triangular lobes curving out, five pointed sepals behind. The stalk is very slender.
Lily of the valley spray between two leavesTwo leaves and six to twelve hanging white bells down one side. Draw the arched stalk, then hang the bells.
Lotus flower standing above a round leafLotus flowers stand on thick stems above peltate leaves, stalk joined at the middle. Run the veins out from there.
Magnolia bloom wide open, tepals like spoonsMagnolias have tepals, not separate petals and sepals. Draw thick spoon shapes in rings round a central cone.
Pansy face on with a bearded bottom petalTwo overlapping upper petals, two side petals, one bottom petal with a slight beard. Build it on a rounded triangle.
Snake's head fritillary with chequered bellAlso called chequered lily and chess flower. Wrap the grid round the bell so the squares narrow toward the edges.
Snowdrop hanging from its arched stalkA single drooping bell between two linear leaves. Three long outer tepals hide a smaller inner whorl marked green.
Tulip in side view, three tepals showingSix tepals in two whorls of three. From the side you see three: one full in front, two edges tucked behind it.
Tulip wide open from above, blotch at the baseWide open, the six tepals read as two triangles. Many tulips carry a blotch of another colour at the base inside.
Water lily floating beside a slit padLeaves mostly float and the blade has a deep sinus, a slit to the stalk. Petals narrow as they near the stamens.
Wild foxglove spire with bells down one sideTubular pendent flowers, heavily spotted inside the tube. In the wild form the flowers appear on one side only.
Trumpets and tubes 19
Amaryllis with four flowers on a hollow stalkHippeastrum carries 2 to 14 funnel-shaped flowers, six tepals each, on an erect hollow scape. Face them outward.
Angel's trumpet hanging straight downBrugmansia flowers are pendulous; Datura's are erect or spreading. Hang a long cone that flares at the rim.
Calla lily from above looking down the funnelThe spathe's edge spirals: it starts tucked under itself and ends in a point. The yellow spadix sits in the throat.
Calla lily in side view, one rolled spatheOne pure white spathe rolled round a yellow spadix, with arrow-shaped leaves. Think of a paper cone with a curled lip.
Daffodil face on, trumpet as a frilled circleSix petal-like tepals behind a corona like a cup or trumpet. Face on: a frilled circle inside a six-point star.
Daffodil in three-quarter view, trumpet foreshortenedDraw the corona's mouth as an ellipse and its base as a smaller one behind. The six tepals fan from the back ellipse.
Daylily open for its one daySix tepals, each with a midrib. A daylily opens in the early morning and withers the following night.
Freesia stem with funnel flowers in a rowFragrant funnel-shaped flowers. Draw the biggest open one first and shrink toward tight buds at the tip of the stem.
Gladiolus spike with sword leavesThe name is the diminutive of gladius, a sword; the leaves are the blades. Open funnels low, tight buds at the tip.
Hibiscus flower face on, five broad petalsA trumpet of five petals or more, 4 to 18 cm across. Let each petal overlap the next in the same direction.
Honeysuckle sprig, tubes fanning from one pointTubular flowers, bilaterally symmetrical, leaves in opposite pairs. The name comes from the sweet nectar in the tubes.
Morning glory face on beside a heart-shaped leafTrumpet-shaped, with heart-shaped leaves. Face on it is a plain disc with a deep throat, so shade toward the centre.
Morning glory fading, rim curling inwardIt opens early and begins to fade by late morning as the corolla curls inward. Fold the rim in like a drawstring bag.
Nasturtium in side view showing its spurFive petals and a nectar spur 2.5 to 3 cm long at the rear. In profile the flower is a funnel with a curved tail.
Nasturtium leaf and flower side by sideNearly circular leaves with the stalk joined near the middle and veins radiating from it. The flower has five petals.
Plumeria flower from above, a five-petal pinwheelA tube splitting sharply into five rounded, waxy petals that overlap each other. Give every petal the same twist.
Snapdragon spike with mouths closedFlowers on a tall spike, each with two lips closing the tube. Draw each as a pouch with a seam, smaller toward the top.
Tiger lily hanging down, tepals rolled right backOrange tepals with black spots. Spots follow the curl: round in the middle of a tepal, flattened near its edges.
Trumpet lily in side view, tips curling backSix tepals, spreading or reflexed, from funnel shape to Turk's cap. Draw a cone, split it in six, roll the tips out.
Layered, rose type 20
Cabbage rose in three-quarter view, packed petalsRosa x centifolia means hundred leaved: round and globular with many thin overlapping petals. Shade it as a ball first.
Cactus dahlia with long pointed raysCactus, pompon and single were dahlia types in a 1904 society guide. Draw the rays as narrow points, starburst style.
Carnation in side view, fringed petals from a tubeCarnations have fringed petals. In profile they burst from a long green tube; zig-zag every outer edge.
Dog rose face on, five pale pink petalsFive petals, usually pale pink, 4 to 6 cm across, round a boss of stamens. This is the rose stripped to its plan.
Dog rose seen from behind, five sepals spreadFrom underneath, two of a dog rose's five sepals are whiskered on both edges. They make a green star on the petals.
Formal double camellia from aboveCamellia forms run from single and semi-double to formal double. Lay the petals in tidy overlapping rings like scales.
Garden rose fully open, seen from aboveMost wild roses have five petals; garden roses add many. Spiral out from a tight centre, each petal overlapping two.
Gardenia flower among shiny leavesWhite, heavily fragrant flowers against shiny dark green leaves with prominent veins. Leave the flower as white paper.
Peony bud, a tight ball on a stalkDraw a sphere with petal seams meeting off-centre and green sepals clasping the base like fingers.
Peony in full bloom, a bowl of ruffled petalsLarge flowers over deeply lobed compound leaves; a bloom lasts only 7 to 10 days. Big outer petals cup a ruffled core.
Persian buttercup, a swirl of paper-thin petalsRanunculus asiaticus; the double forms are popular in floristry. Pack thin crescents tightly round a small centre.
Pompon chrysanthemum in side viewBred for row upon row of ray florets; heads can be daisy-like, pompons or buttons. Layer short curved marks on a dome.
Pompon dahlia, a ball of rolled floretsA dahlia is a composite head: every floret is itself a flower. Wrap rows of small cups round a sphere.
Rose hips on a bare winter stemA rose hip is an accessory fruit, typically red to orange. Draw an oval with a dried tuft of sepals at the free end.
Rose stem with prickles and a seven-leaflet leafRoses carry prickles, not true thorns. Leaves are pinnate with 5 to 9 serrated leaflets: pairs plus one at the tip.
Rosebud in side view with five sepalsFive sepals wrap the bud and show as green points. Draw an egg, one spiral seam, then peel the sepals down.
Single camellia with a boss of stamensSingle camellias have five to eight petals in one row. Mass the stamens into one textured cylinder, not single hairs.
Single rose petal curled at the rimA petal is a shallow scoop. Shade the hollow, leave the rolled rim light and add a cast shadow to lift it off the page.
Tudor rose drawn flat as a heraldic badgeFive white inner petals for York on five red outer petals for Lancaster. Build it on a five-point guide to stay even.
Wilting rose, head bowed and petals droppingBend the neck just under the head. Outer petals sag and crease first, so draw them loose while the centre stays tight.
Spikes, globes and odd shapes 21
Agapanthus head, funnels bursting from one pointA pseudo-umbel of funnel-shaped flowers on a long erect scape. Draw the spokes first, then hang a funnel on each.
Allium globe on a bare stalkAn umbel on a leafless stalk: every flower stalk starts from one point. Draw a circle, then spokes ending in stars.
Anthurium with one spathe and an upright spadixThe flowers are tiny, packed in spirals on the spadix. The big coloured part beneath it is a bract called the spathe.
Bearded iris with three falls and three standardsThree sepals spread or droop and are called falls; three petals stand upright and are called standards.
Bird of paradise flower in profileThe hard, beak-like sheath is the spathe. It sits at right angles to the stem, so it reads as a bird's head and beak.
Bleeding heart stem with hearts in a rowArching racemes of up to 20 pendent flowers: pink outer petals, white inner ones, a heart with a droplet beneath.
Delphinium flower in profile with its spurFive petal-like sepals make a hollow pocket that ends in a spur; four small true petals sit inside.
Flowering dogwood bloom with four notched bractsFour large bracts, not petals, each often notched at the tip, round a tight head of about 20 tiny flowers.
King protea head with overlapping bractsA composite head: flowers in the centre, large colourful bracts around, 120 to 300 mm across. Overlap bracts like tiles.
Lacecap hydrangea head from aboveA few large, showy sterile flowers ring a central cluster of small fertile ones. Dots in the middle, big florets round.
Lavender sprig, whorls up a bare stalkFlowers sit in whorls on spikes held above the foliage. Stack rings of small ovals and let the stalk show between.
Lilac panicle with heart-shaped leavesEach flower is a tube with an open four-lobed tip, packed in dense terminal panicles. Leaves are oval to heart-shaped.
Lupin spire with a palm-shaped leafPea-like flowers in whorls on an erect spike; leaves palmately divided into 5 to 28 leaflets, like wheel spokes.
Moth orchid spray on an arching stemPhalaenopsis flowers are flat and long-lasting. Petals are much wider than the sepals; the lip sits in the middle.
Passion flower face on with its ring of filamentsThe corona, a ring of filaments, lies over the petals; a central column carries stamens and pistil. Work in layers.
Poinsettia from above, bracts not petalsThe coloured parts are bracts, often mistaken for petals. The real flowers are the small yellow parts in the middle.
Queen Anne's lace from above with its ruby floretFlat, dense umbels 8 to 15 cm wide, sometimes with a single central flower in pink, red or purple, the ruby.
Red clover head with three-part leavesThree leaflets, each with a pale crescent. The head is a rounded cluster of thin tubes; draw it as a fuzzy egg.
Spear thistle head above spiny leavesA pink-purple head 2.5 to 5 cm across, all florets alike, no rays. The spear-shaped leaf lobes give the name.
Sweet pea stem with a twining tendrilThe leaf is pinnate: two leaflets and, at the tip, a tendril that twines round supports. Blooms are strongly scented.
Wisteria racemes drooping from a beamDrooping racemes and pinnate leaves with 9 to 19 leaflets. Taper every bunch to a point and overlap the bunches.
Bouquets, wreaths and pages 19
Botanical plate: whole plant plus cut partsBotanical illustration depicts form, colour and detail to describe a species. Add a bud, a cut flower and a seed.
Bud to seed head strip in five stagesFive boxes: tight bud, opening, full bloom, dropping petals, seed head. Keep the stem and viewing angle the same.
Bunch of flowers hung upside down to dryHeads hang below the tie and the stems fan above it. Dry petals shrink and crinkle, so roughen every edge.
Buttonhole flower pinned to a lapelA boutonniere or buttonhole is usually one flower or bud on the lapel. Add one leaf and the pin's shadow.
Corner ornament of three flowers and trailing leavesPut the largest bloom in the corner itself and let two trails run along the edges, thinning to a single leaf.
Flower crown on a head in three-quarter viewThe crown is an ellipse that wraps the skull, so flowers at the back are hidden and side ones turn edge on.
Flower cut in half showing stamens and pistilA stamen is a stalk, the filament, with an anther on top. Draw them ringing the pistil, all rising from one base.
Flower garland swagged across the top of a pageA swag is a hanging curve between two pins. Draw the curve, then hang the biggest flowers at its lowest point.
Full flower wreath on a circle guideA wreath is flowers, leaves, fruits or twigs built into a ring. Draw two circles and keep every stem flowing one way.
Half wreath of flowers, open at the topMake the bottom heavy with the largest blooms and taper to buds and single leaves at both tips.
Hand-tied bouquet seen from aboveFrom above a bouquet is a dome: big heads in the middle face you, side heads tilt away into ellipses.
Herbarium sheet with a specimen and its labelSpecimens are pressed, mounted on stiff white paper and labelled with date, place found and habitat. Letter the label.
Ikebana arrangement in a shallow bowlIkebana is among Japan's three classical arts of refinement. Use few stems and draw the empty space with care.
Posy of wildflowers in a jam jarNosegay, posy and tussie-mussie all mean a small bouquet. Draw the stems bending where they enter the water.
Pressed flower page with pansies and fernsPressed flowers are flat: no form shading. Draw clean outlines, papery creases and the odd missing petal.
Repeating floral pattern tileWhatever leaves the tile on the right must enter on the left at the same height. Test it by drawing four tiles together.
Single flower stem in a bud vaseOne flower, one leaf, one vase. Put the head off-centre and let the stem lean; the empty paper does the rest.
Wildflower meadow at eye levelSharp stems and heads in front, soft dots behind. Let grass blades cross in front of flowers so the depth reads.
Window box of flowers seen from the streetTall at the back, trailing over the front. Overlap the heads so you draw clumps, not rows.
Drawing ideas, flowers only. Each of the 120 is a named bloom in a set view, such as Snowdrop hanging from its arched stalk, sorted by how the petals are built: daisy rays, cups, trumpets, layered roses, spikes and globes. Petal counts were checked against Wikipedia. Pair a petal structure with a level.
Read the full guide
Sorted by petal structure, because that is how you draw them
A flower gets easier once you see its plan. Daisy types are rays round a disc, and the disc becomes an ellipse when the head tilts. Cups and bells are bowls with a split rim. Trumpets are cones. Layered blooms spiral out from a tight centre. Each hint names the plan, then a checked fact, such as a tulip's six tepals in two whorls of three.
Where the roses, bouquets and wreaths are
The Layered group holds the rose drawing ideas: ten of them, from Rosebud in side view with five sepals to rose hips in winter and a dog rose seen from behind. Roses carry prickles, not thorns. Bouquets, wreaths and pages turns single blooms into floral drawing ideas for a whole sheet: a wreath on a circle guide, a pressed page, a botanical plate. Structure and level combine: Trumpets and tubes plus Easy holds seven.
Find the centre first. Every ray, petal and stamen aims at one point, even when the head tilts.
Draw the cup or cone lightly as a plain solid, then cut the rim into petals. Three tepals in front and three behind make a tulip.
No flower to hand? Draw one dealt bloom three times, from the front, the side and behind, two minutes each.
Questions and answers
Which flower is easiest to draw?
Common daisy seen from straight above is a circle with rays, and Tulip in side view, three tepals showing is an egg with two tucked edges. Flat, face-on views are the gentlest start because nothing foreshortens, and 42 of the 120 are in Easy.
Do I need to know any botany?
No, but a little helps you see. A sunflower is a head of many small florets, not one flower. A poinsettia's red parts are bracts. An iris has three falls that droop and three standards that stand up. Once you know what a part is, you stop guessing at its shape.
What is a tepal, and why do the hints keep counting them?
Some flowers have no separate petals and sepals, and their parts are called tepals. Magnolias are built that way, and so are tulips, lilies and daffodils, which carry six. The count is fixed: three tepals in front and three behind is the whole tulip, with nothing left to invent.