British artist Helen Ahpornsiri brings a whole new meaning to botanical illustration with her incredible artworks made from pressed flowers and leaves. Her exquisite works depict the diversity of the natural world, from mammals and birds to insects and sea creatures.
Helen uses real flowers, petals, stems and leaves, foraging materials from her own garden and local natural sites. Each botanical ingredient is carefully chosen to maintain its natural form, and in some works the artist even uses specific materials to correspond with his subject matter. One is a seahorse made from tiny red seaweed, the other is a majestic blue whale made from pressed seaweed. “The seaweed I use is foraged from the beaches of the south coast of England,” Helen reveals.
Other works simply give plants new life, making them part of the artists floral-patterned creatures. "I prefer to use ferns and common wildflower species because I like to give the idea of ??a homespun, or the idea of ??it being a weed, a new narrative, and they're relatively easy to grow," she says.
Helen must press each leaf for one to six weeks before arranging the illustrations. Once laid flat, the flowers and leaves can be arranged on the paper. “Each piece is then cut and delicately placed to form a detailed illustration,” Helen explains. A closer look at Helen’s work reveals how incredibly detailed each illustration is. This artist certainly has incredible patience and a steady hand!
British artist Helen Applesilly creates beautiful illustrations using real flowers and leaves.
Each botanical ingredient is first harvested and then pressed for 1-6 weeks until it becomes flat.
The artist then carefully arranges each material on the paper.
