Artist Keeps Daily Visual Diary of Botanical Illustrations to Document Found Plant Life

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

London-based artist Somang Lee explores the beauty of nature with daily botanical illustrations and observational drawings. Using colored pencils, watercolors, and paper cutouts, Lee began keeping an artist journal in 2016 to document the various plant life she finds while on walks. The ongoing project has become the artist’s personal “investigation into the natural world.” Lee explains, “It's been a wonderful journey through the seasons and has helped me to understand the innate intelligence with which plants grow, protect and make themselves attractive to pollinators.”

Taking the time for her daily ritual each morning, Lee’s budding subjects range from pretty garden flowers, to wild meadow weeds, herbs, and leaves. The artist’s delicate illustrations beautifully capture the fragility of the plant life, and document the various details found in their petals, stems, and foliage. Most recently—in a bid to “escape the winter blues”—Lee has been experimenting with brightly-colored paper collages to create an ongoing series of complex wildflower arrangements. Now with a growing client list—including Pavilion Books and Shindagha Museum, Dubai—the visual artist’s work has evolved from a personal project to a blossoming career.

Find more of Lee’s work on her website and Instagram.

London-based artist Somang Lee explores the beauty of nature with daily botanical illustrations and observational drawings.

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Using colored pencil, watercolor and paper cutouts, the ongoing project has become the artist’s personal “investigation into the natural world.”

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

The delicate illustrations beautifully capture the fragility of the plant life, and document the various details found in their petals, stems, and foliage.

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Her most recent work includes brightly-colored paper collages that illustrate wildflower arrangements.

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Botanical Illustrations by Somang Lee

Somang Lee: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to use images by Somang Lee.

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Emma Taggart

Emma Taggart is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met. Originally from Northern Ireland, she is an artist now based in Berlin. After graduating with a BA in Fashion and Textile Design in 2013, Emma decided to combine her love of art with her passion for writing. Emma has contributed to various art and culture publications, with an aim to promote and share the work of inspiring modern creatives. While she writes every day, she’s also devoted to her own creative outlet—Emma hand-draws illustrations and is currently learning 2D animation.
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