How to Draw Gardenias

Gardenias are said to smell like nutmeg, vanilla and jasmine.

Gardenias are not only sweet and aromatic, but with their waxy, white-layered petals and green, glossy leaves all around, make a great subject for a drawing. These flowers grow throughout evergreen shrubs and come with various patterns of petals. In opposite petals, each is matched by one on the other side, and whirling petals are layered over one another creating a whirl, or spinning effect, around the stigma, or center. By drawing the shrub, the main flowers, then finally the leaves of shrub, you'll be able to draw gardenias in no time.

Things You'll Need

• Blank sheet of paper
• Marker
• Crayons

Instructions

1. Sketch lightly with a pencil at first. Draw the branches of the shrub similar to how you would draw branches of a tree (only on a smaller, tighter scale).

2. 

   In the whirling effect, the petals spin around the stigma.

   Draw a single small circle to represent the stigma or center of the flower at the ends of every few branches. Determine the pattern you want to use for the rest of the flower. Draw petals increasing in size coming from the stigma and moving in a circular motion around it while gradually spreading outward for the whirling pattern. Draw longer, thinner petals on each side with matching ones exactly across from them if you want the gardenias to have the opposite pattern. Draw a prominent bulb-like stigma as well for the opposite pattern flower. In the whirling pattern, you cannot see the stigma.

3. 

   Draw the leaves so that they appeared layered.

   Add many smaller leaves all over the branches of the shrub. Make them appear layered, especially those which are deeper into the shrub.

4. 

   Darken your sketch with a black marker.

   Go over and darken your sketch of gardenias, shrub and all. Use a marker or black crayon to achieve this.

5. 

   Color the gardenia shrub in with crayons.

   Color in the gardenia shrub. Color the petals of the flowers white, but add a yellow tint to the center leaves for the whirling pattern. Color the stigma yellow if exposed for the opposite pattern. Color the leaves of the bush darker green, and fill in any exposed branches of the shrub with dark brown. Use shading if you desire.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want, draw the gardenia flower, including a small piece of the shrub's branch as the stem, separate from the bush itself. You can draw it in a vase, too.

References

• Flower Info: Gardenia Flowers - Pictures & Meanings
• UF: Gardenia