Wild Violets, Aoba Castle: a cluster of wild violets emerging from between three rocks.
In 2023 I challenged myself to complete one drawing each day whilst on holiday in Japan.
Wild violets
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Three penguins in watercolour. One faces left, the second is looking past the viewer, and the third is staring at his feet
I painted these three penguins in watercolour in ca. 2018. They will do rather nicely as filler content for this week’s post.
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The painting shows a mature brown cassava stem, with a young green stem emerging from it. There is a leaf growing from the stem, and a cut cassava tuber is shown below the leaf. The green stem has brown lesions/ streaks along its length. The leaf regions of has blotchy yellow chlorosis. Dark-brown necrotic areas have developed inside the tuber.
In 2022 I painted Cassava Brown Streak virus Disease (CBSD).
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The painting shows a pea plant with three stipules, three compound leaves and six pea pods. Tan-colored circular lesions with a dark brown margin can be seen on the leaves, pods, and stipules. Additionally, elongated brown lesions are visible on the stem.
In 2023 I painted Ascochyta pisi (telemorph Didymella pisi) on pea.
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The painting shows a quadrant of a cross-section through the ergot stroma, with the internal fungal tissue stained blue. Around the periphery, perithecia are outlined in black, and the lines within them represent asci.
In 2025 I painted an ergot stroma (a spore-bearing structure), stained with trypan blue. I used salt to create a mottled effect in the flesh of the fruiting body, to mimic the texture observed in prepared slides.
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Crow Amongst Cherry Blossom, Nishi Park: a black crow silhouette, seated on a cherry-tree branch, surrounded by blossoms.
In 2023 I challenged myself to complete one drawing each day whilst on holiday in Japan.
Crow in a cherry tree
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a montage containing (i) a continuous line drawing of a forsythia and (ii) a photograph of the reference branch with flowers
In late May, I attended an three day in-person workshop on stippling using pen & ink, hosted by Cambridge Botanic Garden, and led by Lizzie Harper Illustrator .
This continuous drawing of a forsythia, done as a warm-up exercise, turned out rather well
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The painting shows two strawberry leaves, each with three leaflets, and three strawberries. One of the strawberry leaves, and one of the strawberries, are partially obscured by the others.
In 2023 I painted strawberry Neopestalotiopsis, caused by the fungus Neopestalotiopsis spp.
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The painting shows a papaya fruit and a leaf. The fruit is covered in green concentric rings. The leaf is distorted, with a shoestring appearance.
In 2022 I painted papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) symptoms.
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I really love this picture - ringspot viruses are very pretty
a biro drawing of a thin petalled magnolia
In 2023 I challenged myself to complete one drawing each day whilst on holiday in Japan.
Thin petalled magnolia
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The painting shows a spring cabbage with characteristic V-shaped lesions at the leaf margins. These lesions display chlorotic (yellow) edges with necrotic brown centres, typical symptoms of this bacterial disease.
I painted spring cabbage black rot, caused by Xanthomonas campestris, for the April illustration of the @BS_PP plant pathogens calendar.
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I drew my Ficus microcarpa 'Ginseng' by hand and captured my biro strokes digitally. Here's more about the process: hgpenningtonart.co.uk/other/ink-to...
Top: Drawing a monocot (wheat) shortly after a dicot (pea) made me realise how distinct their root structures are. The wheat roots radiate outward from a single point, while the pea develops a central tap root with smaller roots branching off from it. Bottom:The painting shows four stages of a pea germinating: 1) seed, 2) seed with primary shoot and root, 3) seed with a long shoot, a new compound leaf and a central root with side roots and 4) a seed with a long shoot, three compound leaves and many roots.
In 2022, I drew a pea germinating. Here, you can compare my monocot (wheat) and dicot (pea) germination series.
Wheat roots radiate out from a single point, whereas the pea has a central tap root.
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The painting shows a sprouting asparagus crown, with 12 storage roots, three asparagus spears and two green buds. The three asparagus spears are deformed, with long dark-green lesions near their bases. There are dark brown lesions on the rhizome at the centre of the crown, and on the thick storage roots.
In 2023 I painted asparagus Phytophthora rot, caused by the oomycete Phytophthora asparagi.
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Matsushima bridge
In 2023 I challenged myself to complete one drawing each day whilst on holiday in Japan.
Matsushima bridge
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The perspective didn't quite work for this one, but you can see what I was aiming for
Italian arum leaf in pen & ink stipple, with a watercolour wash overlay in two shades of green
I attended an three-day in-person workshop on stippling using pen & ink, hosted by Cambridge Botanic Garden, and led by Lizzie Harper Illustrator .
I’m particularly pleased with how this Italian arum leaf turned out.
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The painting shows a linseed stem with two offshoots. The central shoot terminates in two seedpods, whereas the side shoots terminate in seed buds or blue five-petalled linseed flowers. There are yellow, chlorotic areas painted on the leaves, with orange dots representing the rust pustules. Rust pustules are also present on the seed heads.
In 2022 I painted linseed rust, caused by Melampsora lini.
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The painting shows a tall, thin, distorted onion, with a small cluster of roots at the base, a brown papery sheath, and six chlorotic yellow-green twisted leaves.
In 2023 I painted twister disease of onion, caused by Colletotrichum spp.
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Cherry Blossom, Tohoku University: a cluster of cherry blossom flowers at the end of a twig.
In 2023 I challenged myself to complete one drawing each day whilst on holiday in Japan.
Cherry blossom
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Hedera helix (English ivy) graphite drawing
Lilium asiatica - outline drawing
Eucalyptus globus ink stipple drawing with light colour overlay
I’m pleased to share my first Society of Botanical Artists Diploma coursework🎨
Assignment 1 focused on drawing – tone, texture and accuracy. I’m especially pleased with my ivy illustration, and found the tutor’s feedback useful and relevant.
See more: www.hgpenningtonart....
Cherry laurel leaves with brown leaf spots featuring attractive concentric rings. Many of the spots have grown large enough to reach the leaf margins.
Cherry laurel leaf spot, likely caused by the fungus Eupropolella britannica. This fungus produces brown spots on the leaves, which are typically larger than those caused by other fungi responsible for cherry laurel leaf spot.
The painting shows four stages of wheat germinating: 1) seed, 2) seed with primary shoot and root, 3) seed with first leaf and three roots, and 4) seed with two leaves and four roots.
In 2022 I painted a progression series of wheat germinating.
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The painting shows a chickpea stem, with four compound leaves, each with 10 leaflets, and four chickpea pods. Grey-brown lesions are visible on the chickpea pods and leaves, and elongated lesions can be seen on the stem. Additionally, the characteristic pycnidia formed by this fungus are represented by darker concentric circles within the lesions.
In 2023 I painted Ascochyta chickpea blight, caused by the fungus Ascochyta rabiei (teleomorph Didymella rabiei).
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Frog Statue in Hirakawachō, drawn in black biro on white watercolour paper
In 2023 I challenged myself to complete one drawing each day whilst on holiday in Japan.
Frog statue
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A gif of drawing a scarab beetle on a Huion note
I drew a green scarab beetle (Cetonia aurata), from my garden, by hand and captured my biro strokes digitally.
Here's more about the process: hgpenningtonart.co.uk/other/ink-to...
he painting shows four beans hanging from a stem, and a compound bean leaf with three blades. Small, reddish-brown, sunken circular lesions can be seen on the bean pods. The underside of the leaf petioles have brown lesions on the leaf veins.
In 2022 I painted bean anthracnose, aka cowpea anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum lindemuthianum.
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The painting shows a tomato stem, with one cluster of tomatoes and two compound leaves. The red tomatoes are covered in concentric yellow and orange ringspots. The leaf symptoms are varied, including darker concentric rings, brown flecks/blotches, leaf purpling (depicted here as a light brown-green colour), normal (green) sections on some of the leaves, and dark brown necrotised tissue. Both the tomato fruit and leaves have spots with ‘normal-'looking’ centres, which strongly suggests that a virus is the cause of the spots. . Bacterial and fungal spots seldom have healthy centres, as the infection typically starts in the centre and spreads outward.
In 2023 I painted tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) symptoms.
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Nihonbashi View (from our Hotel Room): a city skyline, taken from an elevated position
In 2023 I challenged myself to complete one drawing each day whilst on holiday in Japan.
Nihonbashi city skyline, illustrated from an elevated position
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The painting depicts the structure of a Penicillium conidiophore, resembling a simplified blue tree with rows of circular spores at the tips of its branches. It includes the stipe (trunk), rami (branches), metulae (sub-branches), phialides, and conidia (spores).
In 2025 I illustrated Penicillium stained with trypan blue. Penicillium fungi are important post-harvest pathogens, for example citrus green mould is caused by Penicillium digitatum.
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I drew a guinea pig by hand and captured my biro strokes digitally. Here's more about the process: hgpenningtonart.co.uk/other/ink-to...
