A pencil sketch of a plant called "Baethirvein" in a soft-toned sketchbook. The plant has broad, textured leaves with subtle vein detail and a single, small five-petalled flower blooming at the top. The flower is lightly shaded to stand out from the graphite tones of the leaves. Three green graphite pencils are placed on the right side of the sketchbook, and a black Kindle rests on the left. The name "Baethirvein" is written in elegant digital calligraphy at the bottom of the page, along with the artist’s signature: “T. J. Hassall 2025.”
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Sketch Saturday: Baethirvein – Flora Sketch

ByTiffany

Sketch Saturday: Baethirvein Flora Sketch

This week’s sketch is something a little different and a little special. It’s my birthday today, and although I struggled with this one more than expected, I wanted to keep my Sketch Saturday series going.

Here it is: Baethirvein, also known as Bittervein, sketched during a rare flowering moment.

This is only the second flora sketch I’ve drawn for the world so far, and it took a few days to get here. I found the shading much harder than with my creatures. I think I’m realising that, while I want to keep using graphite (8B to 6H pencils) for creature sketches, I’d really like to experiment with colour pencils for the flora. There’s something about plants, especially the subtle ones like this, that feel like they need that extra depth.

Still, I wanted to see how Baethirvein might look on the page, and I’m glad I gave it a try.

BAETHIRVEIN

(Pronounced something like BAY-thir-vayn)

A pencil sketch of a plant called "Baethirvein" in a soft-toned sketchbook. The plant has broad, textured leaves with subtle vein detail and a single, small five-petalled flower blooming at the top. The flower is lightly shaded to stand out from the graphite tones of the leaves. Three green graphite pencils are placed on the right side of the sketchbook, and a black Kindle rests on the left. The name "Baethirvein" is written in elegant digital calligraphy at the bottom of the page, along with the artist’s signature: “T. J. Hassall 2025.”
A pencil sketch of a plant called “Baethirvein” in a soft-toned sketchbook. The plant has broad, textured leaves with subtle vein detail and a single, small five-petalled flower blooming at the top. The flower is lightly shaded to stand out from the graphite tones of the leaves. Three green graphite pencils are placed on the right side of the sketchbook, and a black Kindle rests on the left. The name “Baethirvein” is written in elegant digital calligraphy at the bottom of the page, along with the artist’s signature: “T. J. Hassall 2025.”

Baethirvein is a hardy, low-growing herb found throughout swampy regions of Lunaaris. It is used across villages and travel routes. The broad leaves are criss-crossed with violet-coloured veins and shimmer faintly in mist. The pale flower shown here only appears during rare, cold stretches of weather. In the world of the story, it’s more background than focal point.

Zaras, one of my main characters, first wakes up in Nocturnis — a region where Baethirvein is grown. It appears discreetly in the chapter, woven into travel pastes and local stews, adding a sharp, peppery note to the food. It’s used in kitchens, teas, rituals, and sometimes worn by widows.

Beginnings

I’m still finding my rhythm with flora sketches. This one took me three afternoons and the shading never sat quite right until the end. Even now, I can see what I want to try differently next time. But it’s another step forward in learning how to share this world, piece by piece. I think over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to learn some more about drawing flora with coloured pencils.

Thanks for being here while I figure out how to do that.🌱

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