Tried to sketch a maidenhair at 7 a.m., and the moment I lined up the rachis the pinnae curled like audience members ducking a spotlight, hiding every last sorus from my 0.3 mm technical pen. Any tricks to get cooperative vein reveals without turning the studio into a fog bank, or do your models also throw dramatic petiole bends when the camera comes out?
Early-afternoon post-watering backlight makes the sori behave without fog. Kew’s tip helps: https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/how-to-draw-botanical-illustrations. If it still sulks, prop a white card opposite.
Try a thin Mylar sheet to gently pin fronds; avoids fog, reveals veins. “7 a.m.” chill worsens curling — warmer room help?
I get the stage fright too — at 7 a.m. mine curl up like they’re auditioning. What helps is hard raking light from a desk lamp plus a black card behind the frond to pop the veins, and a loose florist‑wire loop around the petiole anchored to a pencil to stop the dramatic bend — no fog needed; John Muir Laws explains the lighting bit here: https://johnmuirlaws.com/drawing-leaves/. Does that keep the sori visible for your “0.3 mm technical pen,” or do they still sulk?