We headed out early that day to beat the summer heat. Helmets on and bikes and scooters in tow, we made our way along the lake and towards Zürichsee’s eastern shore. There we would find a scenic and mesmerizing river delta. The parks and quays in the surrounding area provided the perfect setting for the children to experiment with their speed and independence.
As they raced ahead, they giggled with excitement knowing that there was no way we could keep up. They didn’t get far. Around half way between where they had left us and the end of the park, they had stumbled upon a sea of pink: a magnificent display of roses in full bloom. The sweet smell that filled the air was unmissable, almost as enchanting as the flowers themselves.
What is that smell? I want to eat whatever it is.
Like everyone else in the park, we grabbed our cameras and did our best to capture the moment. The visual was one thing, but it was impossible to grasp the entirety splendor radiating from the sea of roses in a single shot. There were so many dimensions: color, shape, form, and aroma.
Shapes
We learned that drawing a rose, that actually looks like a rose, can be a difficult process, requiring quite a bit of patience. Using the photographs that we had taken in the park that day as our starting point, we set about trying to capture what we were seeing using simple lines. It was important to capture that fact that each flower was unique. Some were simply larger than others were, but we also noticed that there was quite a lot of variety in terms of how far along the roses were in their budding process. The roses whose blossoms had almost completely unfolded required fewer lines that were set further apart, capturing the fact that the petals were already open and therefore larger. The opposite was true for those that were still budding. After various iterations, we felt that we had captured the balanced and natural feel of the flowers. Their placement was chosen to reflect the vastness of flowers we had observed, while still depicting the softness and delicate nature of the individual blossoms.
Colors
Pink was a natural starting point for this print; quite simply, it reflected the reality of what we had observed. We had experimented with shading, but had decided to keep the print simple. For this reason, we felt that we needed to use color and tone to ensure that the flowers dominate. We experimented with a darker background, assigning a lighter shade to the roses. However, the feel of the print became too heavy and overpowering. Quickly we switched it up and tried out a darker shade for the roses.
There was a fine line between finding a strong enough background shade, and an even darker shade for the flowers without giving them a gloomy feel. Finally, we settled on a contrast that was not too strong, but provided a warm and cheerful feel for the print. While we were certain that, through this color combination, we capture the color and the aroma of those roses, we did question whether the same could be said for their shape and form. As with many of our prints, we therefore created a second version. With a view to obtaining maximum contrast, we adopted a black and white approach. As for the pink version of the print, the background is kept light while the rose forms are created to dominate.
What do you think of Ruusu? Do you prefer pink or black and white?
If you love this print, you can place an order on our website: Ruusu, pink or Ruusu, black and white.
