I was thinking, as I glanced through these, that it's an nice break to see plants that are instantly recognizable without looking at the labels. There were only a few I wasn't sure of.
Then, at page 44, I suddenly realized why they were so easy to recognize. Many of them are not drawn (except for mythical plants like lunaria and a few others that might be too big to fit on a page), the plants are inked and then "pressed" into the page to make an impression of the plant (like a monoprint) and then, in some cases, overpainted. That also explains why the roots are so rough compared to the way the rest of the plant is drawn. They are sketched in after, rather than pressed from the real root.
Very interesting observation about the serpents/dragons. I've seen them used to represent many different things but I wasn't aware of an association with sap.
If the little VMS critter is intended as a "sap dragon" then the plant is more likely to be Dracaena than Plantago. Plantago has negligible sap (other parts of the plant are used), whereas Dracaena is known for the sap that drips off the plant. The Yemeni Dracaena is especially noted for its sap, which is bright red.
Then, at page 44, I suddenly realized why they were so easy to recognize. Many of them are not drawn (except for mythical plants like lunaria and a few others that might be too big to fit on a page), the plants are inked and then "pressed" into the page to make an impression of the plant (like a monoprint) and then, in some cases, overpainted. That also explains why the roots are so rough compared to the way the rest of the plant is drawn. They are sketched in after, rather than pressed from the real root.
Very interesting observation about the serpents/dragons. I've seen them used to represent many different things but I wasn't aware of an association with sap.
If the little VMS critter is intended as a "sap dragon" then the plant is more likely to be Dracaena than Plantago. Plantago has negligible sap (other parts of the plant are used), whereas Dracaena is known for the sap that drips off the plant. The Yemeni Dracaena is especially noted for its sap, which is bright red.