- 1). Take clear reference photos of orchids, including their leaves, or use photos of orchids you find in magazines or on a clip-art CD. Make sure that the pictures show plenty of leaves, with a few positioned prominently in relation to the flower. Select a photo that measures at least 6 inches by 8 inches.
- 2). Draw a grid on the orchid photo, using a ruler. Make the grid squares at least 3/4 inch by 3/4 inch.
- 3). Mark your drawing paper with a grid equal to the size of the grid on your photo. Draw the same number of squares also. Draw with pencil.
- 4). Locate the tip of the orchid leaf that stands out the most in the photo. Count the number of squares to that grid square, for example, four squares up from the bottom edge of the picture and seven squares from the right-hand side.
- 5). Locate the same grid square on your paper's grid.
- 6). Observe the tip of the orchid leaf within the grid square. Notice how the lines curve within the grid square to form the pointed part of the leaf. Make a mental note of how the lines angle in relation to each other to form the orchid leaf.
- 7). Make a line drawing of the grid square in the corresponding grid square on the paper. Draw the lines so that they curve and angle the same way they do in the photo's grid square. Replicate how they intersect the square's lines.
- 8). Draw the rest of the orchid leaves and the orchid using the grid. Draw what you see, one square at a time. When you sketch a line, check to see if it has the same curve or angle as the line in the photo. If it doesn't, erase it and draw it again.
- 9). Rub out the grid lines on your orchid drawing. Don't erase the line drawing of the orchid.
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