Native trees

Kohuhu

I'll tell you a secret - I actually kind of hate kohuhu, aka pittisporum tenuifolium. But like a lot of things that I don't much like in and of themselves, I enjoy drawing it. 
If you look back at my portfolio, it seems to be filled with things that I don't really like - I am not much of a fan of eating fish or mushrooms, and bugs aren't really things I want to get too close to, but I really enjoy drawing them. 
Added to that, it's a native plant that is growing on our land, and it's not a predictable subject - and I haven't drawn it yet. We also have akiraho (​Olearia paniculata), so I have included leaves from both in the design. I have not included their distinguishing flowers in this design, as neither had bloomed when I took my original working photos. I took these photos today to show the difference - and I may make a second version, with the trees flowering.

I believe that this is kohuhu

And I think this is akiraho

It was actually very pleasant to draw, and the design came together nicely from its parts. I felt that it quickly made a cohesive design repeat.
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I decided that I liked the flow of the design so much that I would expand it to include both flowering kohuhu and akiraho. 

Kohuhu

Flowering kohuhu

Akiraho

Kawakawa

Kawakawa (piper excelsum) is well-known in craft market circles, as it is one of the most important herbs in traditional herbal Māori medicine, used to treat cuts, wounds, and various pains.
When we bought our place, the previous owner had just planted a lot of it all along the edges of the driveway, so we now have an absolute profusion of gorgeous, heart-shaped leaves all along the edge of the driveway.

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