How to Draw Plants and Flowers Simply (Sōka ryakugashiki)
A Japanese woodblock instruction book of 1813 by Kitao Masayoshi, published in Edo by Suharaya Ichibei, meant for amateur painters learning to draw plants and flowers. Its pages show sparse botanical sketches of single stems, leaves and blossoms in soft green, blue and yellow washes, with the tiny calligraphic plant names written beside them. A designer might borrow the economy of these pared-down botanical silhouettes, the open negative space around each stem, and the restrained palette.
