Channel Islands National Park Guidebooks Illustrations- California Native Plants With Pen and Ink

If you have a chance to visit Channel Islands National Park, don't forget to pick up a copy of new guidebooks at the Native Plant Garden in front of the visitor center. I did the original pen and ink illustrations for these two informative and beautifully designed guidebooks 'Guide to Island Plant Adaptation' and 'Guide to Island Chumash Plant Usage'. This is a very rewarding experience knowing that my illustrations play a part to help the public better understand these unique islands!

Here are a few pages of the books:

May The Bb Power Be With You,

Ellie

Ceanothus gloriosus

Ceanothus gloriosus J.T Howell
Family: Rhamnaceae
Genus: Ceanothus
Species: C. gloriosus

A quick sketch with ink pen and watercolor.
Ceanothus gloriosus is endemic to California. Some people call the genus California Lilac. Generally they are 0.5 to 3 meters tall and burst crazily with white or purplish blue clusters of flowers in spring.

This may be the last ceanothus blossom of this year at the native plant garden of Channel Island National Park. When spring comes, there are so many flowers to draw and to paint! But this year I'm very distracted and couldn't spend too much time to study the ceanothus bushes in the CINP garden. I will have to wait for another 11 months to see the striking blue blooming again.

The most interesting part of the this ceanothus is the color of the flower. It's a purplish blue and kind of tricky to capture it right.

May The Bb Power Be With You,
Ellie