This project is an attempt to recreate an antique botanical plate. I chose the Southern Shield Fern because of its fractal geometry. Throughout the reasearch for this project, I became very interested in the life cycle of ferns and their reproductive processes.
To create my botanical plate, I started by creating an extremely accurate painting of my subject by using a stencil. I created the stencil on the by separating each color brown, green and red, and then using Image Trace in Illustrator. I then plotted the linework on a stiff paper with the laser cutter. While painting, I took care to mix colors that would bring my subject to life. I used two tones for each stencil to create more depth and interest in my final painting. For the presentation board I combined detailed AutoCAD linework with the high resolution scans of the subject and the painting to create the blended images.
The image used in Figure 02 is from http://www.fernsoftheworld.com/2014/01/11/pleopeltis-pleopeltidis/