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EVO Planner Review

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EVO Planner Review

EVO Planner Review - What is your Brain Type? Using the planner for 90 days - will it help organize your thoughts & to-do list? | ChocolateMusings.com #evoplanner #productreview

In this post, you’ll find my initial EVO Planner Review as I start using it for the next 90 days. This post is not sponsored – all opinions expressed are my own.

I’m a sucker for planners, notebooks, and school supplies in general. I love trying out new planners and journals. Honestly, the stacks of notebooks I’ve acquired don’t bother me. I came across the EVO planner, I was intrigued. They have four different types of planners suited for different brain types. I did the free assessment and discovered that I am an alchemist. 

EVO Planner Review: What is it & Why is it Different?

The EVO Planner started out on Kickstarter, after funding, they moved it to their website and Amazon. The EVO Planner has 4 different planner types – one for each brain type. I have to admit that it is the part that really intrigued me. I have trouble starting too many projects and finding shiny objects to distract me regularly.

  • EVO Planner Review - Alchemist Brain Type | ChocolateMusings.com #evoplanner #productreview
  • EVO Planner Review - Archetect Brain Type | ChocolateMusings.com #evoplanner #productreview
  • EVO Planner Review -Explorer & Oracle Brain Types | ChocolateMusings.com #evoplanner #productreview

EVO Planner Review – 4 Brain Types

To determine which type of planner you receive, first, you’ll take an assessment to determine what your brain type is. I am an alchemist. There is also Explorer, Oracle & Architect. 

An alchemist needs novelty, discovering patterns, exploring different possibilities, inventing and creating original work, competence across many areas. Some strengths: Creative problem-solving, inspiring others, playing multiples roles at once. Weaknesses: getting bored & distracted quickly, always wanting to switch to a new project, putting things off, restricting structure imposed by others, starting a project, and not finishing them.

Well. If we haven’t been introduced, then this little book just exposed my darkest and deepest secrets to the universe. So it seems they got something right. 

Take their free quiz from their website projectevo.org to find out what your EVO Planner brain type is – you’ll likely learn about yourself. My husband found out that he was an Architect brain type. Which, according to the brain type assessment means we work together well.

FYI – They will add you to their marketing list, and if you don’t want to hear from them again after your assessment, unsubscribe. You can also check out the EVO Planner on Amazon. It comes with access to their app since promotions change, you’ll need to verify if access to the app is still free with the purchase of the planner.

EVO Planner Review: Planner Layout

Since there are four different planners, each will be structured a little differently. This is my experience with the Alchemist planner.

EVO Planner - A Peek Inside | ChocolateMusings.com #evoplanner #productreview #plannerreview

Planner Stats:

Each planner starts with an overview of the brain types and how to use the book. The planner contains:

  • Monthly Calendar for 3 Months (actually it has 4 months, but it’s intended to be used for 90 days)
  • 14 Weekly Planning & Review Pages
  • 90 Daily Planning & Review Pages
  • 9 Notes Pages at the End
  • 2 Bookmarks – one labeled weekly & the other labeled daily to keep your place within the book
  • Unnumbered, Undated Pages
  • App for Scanning Your Daily & Weekly Progress. It will keep track of the scores you give yourself and give some incentive for continuing in your goals.
  • Dimensions 8 3/7″ x 5 1/8″ or 21cm x 13cm
  • Colors Available – at the time: Navy with Copper Accents & Copper Guilded Pages

On one of the first pages (after they give a breakdown of how to use each page), you pledge to use the planner for the next 90 days and using their app. I signed my name, so I was committed.

They bind you by your own word to use the planner and app for 90 days. I have to admit, that’s the reason why I came back to this planner after I signed it because I figured I’d already committed to giving it a go and if I’d like to order it in the future.

Find more plan with me ideas | ChocolateMusings.com #planwithme #ideas

Here are the Pros and Cons (so far) of the EVO Planner

EVO Planner Brain Types - Planner Review | ChocolateMusings.com

Pros (What I Like)

A big plus for me when using the EVO Planner is how much I actually focus. This notebook makes you sharpen your attention. You have to decide what is most important, and then it makes you accountable for how much time each activity will take. 

I habitually over-plan and carry my to-do list over though the week and sometimes month. Knowing how much time an activity will take upfront made me set real priorities. I didn’t add an item to the to-do list unless it was a true priority and I could reasonably get it done. Once finished, there’s a feel-good checkmark box to move on to the next task. (I think this is different in each brain type planner).

Daily Section: Gratitude

Something that I’ve wanted to start is a gratitude journal. Each EVO Planner has a section for gratitude every day. You may find it a little awkward to sit and think of something to be grateful for each day, I find that it adds mindfulness to the start of each day.

Daily Gratitude | ChocolateMusings.com #productreview #evoplanner

Daily Pages

I’ve never used a daily planner, only weekly planners – so completing one page daily was a little different. But I really liked it! It might be something I will include in my planner in the future.

Planner Review Daily Pages | ChocolateMusings.com #productreview #evoplanner

Daily Quote

They say that each daily quote is specific to your brain type. I like quotes and I like the ones in my planner so far.

EVO Daily Quotes | ChocolateMusings.com #dailyquote #motivation #quotes

Cons (What I Don’t Like)

The App

The app scanner was slightly off. I scribbled in a 7, and it gave me an 8 or 9 instead. Correcting it within the app at the time of scanning, however, was very easy. You just change the rating. I didn’t find that you could change the scan once you’ve saved unless you scanned it again and overrode the daily submission. 

There was a spot on the daily scan called “monthly ritual” I wasn’t sure what that was until I downloaded the app. It’s basically a monthly goal you want to do daily to help you achieve a bigger purpose. Mine is to write for at least 10 minutes every day.

What I Miss

What I miss about my bullet journal are my future logs, habit trackers, and journal pages. I also feel like some of the to-dos that aren’t as urgent could get lost. Although there are small areas for notes and ideas and places to write about your wins & plans for the day and week personally, I like to record deeper feelings and events with my family. I would need to have a secondary notebook to keep alongside this notebook.

EVO Planner Close Up | ChocolateMusings.com #evoplanner
Want More Product Reviews? | ChocolateMusings.com #productreviews

EVO Planner Review: Conclusion

In conclusion to my EVO Planner Review, if you were to ask me right this minute if I would buy another planner for the next 90 days, I would say probably not. Only because I miss my other pages so much even though I can tell that I have a greater focus on the projects I want to finish.. We will see as this experiment goes on!

What Else Should I Review | ChocolateMusings.com #productreviews

Find Your Inspiration (When It’s Lost)

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My Muses: Finding Your Inspiration (Again) | ChocolateMusings.com #inspiration #whatinspiresyou

Find Your Lost Inspiration

I’m sure at one point in time you’ve lost your inspiration or creative muse. This month, my muses were all about helping you ‘find your inspiration’ because over the summer, I lost my inspiration. It felt like someone turned out the light on my creativity, and I’ve been clamoring to find that switch and turn it back on.

How I Lost My Inspiration

The last few months have been very dark – creatively. Starting with a week’s horrible sickness for my entire family the end of May, followed by the end of school and subsequently, the end of our regular daily routine.

Though I love summer, the chaos that coincides with it wreaks havoc on my inspiration. I usually have an abundance of ideas, too many for me to implement. But this summer, all my ideas dried up, and I felt like I was in a desert searching for water.

Maybe it was that I lost the everyday regimen of school day structure or if it was that the kids were home more (and bickering more) or if work was particularly stressful this summer, but I was in a deep creative funk. I wanted to create, I wanted to draw and write and express myself, but I couldn’t find the motivation or the inspiration to do much of anything.

Ideas to Try – Where I Started

Knowing how to recover or get out of a funk is probably the most valued advice I could give or receive. Unfortunately, I have not found the ultimate answer to that puzzle, yet. When I figure it out, I will share it with you. However, there were several things I tried & found, so I’m sharing those with you today.

But what I did do, was let myself have time. Once I was ready, and I felt like I wasn’t forcing creativity, I started watching some Skillshare teachers and seeking inspiration.

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

— J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

In my case, I could amend this fantastic quote by Dumbledor to say, “inspiration can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

My Muses: Finding Your Inspiration Dumbledor quote - Happiness can be found in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light | ChocolateMusings.com #inspiration #whatinspiresyou

This month I’ve tried to focus on getting back into routine and creating order in my life. I laid out my planner using time blocks so I can organize my time.

Adding a section in my planner called “One Big Goal” – helped me focus on one big purpose for the month. I find that I lose my creativity if I let myself get too distracted and try to do everything at once.

All these efforts have helped restore my creativity, bit by bit.

Here are a few other things that helped me find my inspiration, again

I hope these things will help you find your inspiration, too!

Inspiration Muse #1

Kindle Paperwhite

One of my goals is to read a book per month (or more!). I love physical books, but don’t like taking them around with me. Reading on my phone became problematic because:

  1. It took too much battery
  2. I couldn’t see it in the daylight
  3. Other apps distract me
  4. Reading on the tablet was also problematic because of the battery usage (I never had any juice left to create after using it to read!).

My boss gave me a Kindle Paperwhite for my birthday (thank you to my boss and thanks to husband for giving them that idea). And I LOVE it. It eliminates distraction while reading – no alerts or dings, pop-ups like my phone. The battery lasts like the energizer bunny. Reading in daylight is like reading a book – there’s no glare.

You can read in the bath. Yes, you read that right. It even recommended it on the packaging.

To explain how much I adore this new device, I’m going to channel Dr. Seuss:

You can read on a train, on a plane in a car or at a bar. On a bus? No distraction, only focus. Read outside or in a box, while you take off your socks. Even read in the bath (there’s no aftermath!). The backlight at night is simply a delight! Don’t forget that the device is very light.

-Me

Ok, I’ll stop. I’m excited to read all the Kindle books I’ve collected over the years and borrow many more from my library. If I connect Bluetooth to it, I can listen to my Audible books, too. If you can’t tell, I’m a fan.

You bet I have all of these books queued up!

Inspiration Muse #2

Number Stickers

My creation out of necessity. Because I hated writing numbers over and over again, and when I do, I ALWAYS get out of sequence. But I wanted to use time blocking in my planner, which requires writing the numbers again and again. I created them to fit precisely with a 5mm grid on matte sticker paper. 14 to a sheet – it covers two weeks.

I cut down the sticker to use only the hours in the day that I’m awake – but you could use it any way you want – to track sleep, to plan out your hourly activities or a typical day.

I also have a 1-31 number sticker that I used to create a monthly log. Find them both in my shop!

Inspiration Muse #3

Skillshare

Skillshare is an online learning community where there are literally hundreds of classes taught by many individuals on a variety of subjects. I found it over a year ago, and LOVE it. I just counted and I’ve watched more than 125 classes (some more than once). There’s more than just painting, art and lettering. There are SO many choices. It is one of my most favorite places online.

Try for free – watch as many classes as you like. If you’re new or already subscribe to Skillshare, find me over there – @ChocolateMusingsCreates

Some of my favorite classes:

Liz Kohler Brown – Create Cuttings on your iPad – if you have ProcreateApp on an iPad, she is THE artist to follow. She teaches so many courses and I have learned so much.
Kolbie Blume – Beginner’s Galaxy – I recently found her and simply adore her watercolor classes.
Kiki B – Drawing Consistent Letters with Basic Supplies – Taught by one of my friends (we met lettering – ok, we’ve never actually met, but nonetheless she’s my friend). Want to learn how to create letters from scratch? This is an insanely useful class.
Lisa Long – 3D lettering in procreate – making letters look 3D and simply amazing.
Cat Coquillette – Modern Watercolor Techniques – Seriously inspiring! I’ve learned so much from her.
Yasmina Creates – her Doodle Magic class, Thumbnail Sketching, Anyone Can Watercolor, You Can Draw Anything!

Skillshare inspires me when my creativity flows freely, what’s more, is that it encourages creativity when there is but little more than a small trickle or drip of my inspiration.

Here are some of My Favorite Skillshare Projects

Every single one of these projects (plus all the others I’ve done) has inspired some other thing down the line. It’s ok to experiment, it’s ok to find something new to try. Don’t limit yourself.

In Summary: To Find Your Inspiration & Reignite your Creativity – Try Some of These Things:

  • Give yourself time
  • Don’t force it
  • Follow a daily schedule
  • Change your daily schedule
  • Create a time to focus
  • Eliminate distractions
  • Choose one thing
  • Solve a problem (like my number stickers solved a problem for me)
  • Learn something new that has an assignment at the end – so you feel compelled to create

I hope my muses have inspired you in some way. I’d love to know what muses you turn to, and which ones provide the most inspiration.

9 Ideas to Find Your Inspiration (when it's lost) | ChocolateMusings.com #inspiration #whatinspiresyou

How to Learn a New Skill in 5 Easy Steps – and Keep Your Life, Too

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5 Steps to learn a new skill (and keep your life, too) | ChocolateMusings.com #habits #skills #talents

How to Learn a New Skill – all it takes is a small commitment every day

How to learn a new skill: believe it or not, it doesn’t take a tremendous amount of time every day to learn something new. In reality, all it takes to learn a new skill is a small commitment, every day to develop a new talent or start a new hobby.

What is one thing you want to do but you haven’t started doing it, yet? Maybe it’s because you don’t feel like you have time or it feels too complicated or any other excuse you give yourself.

Practice Makes Progress - 5 Ways to Develop a New Talent or Skill | ChocolateMusings.com #practicemakesprogress #practice #skill

Learning a new skill or practice won’t happen immediately. My kids always say, “I’m not good at that.” My response is either “neither was I until I practiced a lot” or another one of my favorite responses: “well, you’ll have to practice to improve.” Learning a new skill is like riding a bike or learning to swim.

Buying a new bike doesn’t guarantee you’ll keep your balance; it requires practice, practice, practice. It requires skill development and sometimes some scraped knees. But it always requires you get back up and keep going.

Examples of Skills I Want to Learn or Habits to I Want to Develop

  • Learn to create a variety of lettering formats
  • Journal Everyday
  • Write
  • Illustrate books
  • Paint Murals
  • Watercolor Paint
  • Paint realistic art
  • Draw from memory
  • Draw Faces
  • Sell my art
  • Blog full time
  • Keep my house clean
  • Learn something new
  • Watercolor plants
  • Create quotes in awesome layouts
  • Paint florals
  • Photography
  • Write Comics
  • Sing

When I was learning to brush letter, I committed at least 15 minutes per day to the activity. Investing just 15 minutes per day removes a lot of excuses. It feels more like a bite-sized piece every day than eating the whole elephant at once.

ChocolateMusings.com Shop - Find it in the shop!

Make Your Own List

Go ahead and get your notebook out or a scrap of paper then brainstorm a list of things that you want to learn. Don’t edit your list right now; write down all the things you want to do. Don’t worry about how long your list is, keep writing until you feel like you’ve listed everything.

Once you’ve listed all the ambitions in your life, choose one (maximum two) items from your list to practice every day for a short amount of time.

Decide which one will capture your focus. You can’t learn everything all at one time. For one thing, the time commitment is certainly not feasible. For another thing, you’re probably overwhelmed by your list already.

Choose One Thing

The above list of skills I want to learn/habits to develop to do isn’t comprehensive by any means, but even that shortlist is overwhelming when it comes to doing them all at once.

Trying to learn everything at once quickly becomes overwhelming. The key to learning a new skill is to focus on one thing at a time. I used to be an advocate for multitasking, but I have learned over time that splitting my efforts is certainly not as effective as focusing on one thing at a time.

I’m not saying to neglect everything else in your life, in fact, contrary to that. Choose one as a focus. I’m not going to neglect cleaning my house while I learn a new skill other than cleaning, but the books I read, the research I do, my general focus will be on creating a different skill instead.

If You Can’t Decide Which One

If you can’t decide, try this: choose the first thing on your list. Think about spending the next 3 months, devoting your time every day to learning that skill. How does that one make you feel? Were you excited or secretly disappointed that it wasn’t another item on your list? If you were disappointed, choose the thing that you thought about doing instead, that’s probably the one you really want to try.

Muscle Memory

You’re creating ‘muscle memory.’ It’s like going to the gym for your brain and hands. Working out a little every day is better than working out in one long session on Saturdays. It creates a more established habit and doesn’t take an entire day to catch up.

If you give yourself just 15 minutes per day, you’ll be amazed at how much you improve at this new skill. A short amount of time every day is better than a big chunk of time – especially when you have to train your hands or mind to do something different like lettering or drawing.

You’ll make better progress if you do a little every day. And you’re not asking yourself to eat huge chunks, which is easier to swallow.

Now Commit to Learning Your New Skill

Just like my cleaning/decluttering regimen, set a specific time for when you intend to do your practice every day.

How to Commit:

Now that you’ve decided which skill you will practice, there are a few things that will help you to commit it to memory. They are simple things, but very useful.

  1. Set a time
  2. Write it down
  3. Block it out on your calendar
  4. Show up & Practice
  5. Every. Single. Day

Set your intentions for real then commit to yourself or tell someone else if you need accountability. Tell them what you are going to do and when you are going to do it.

Comment below, which is the one thing you are going to do & when you are going to do it every day.

5 Steps to learn a new skill (and keep your life, too) | ChocolateMusings.com #habits #skills #talents

My Commitment

For me, I am going to write for my blog for 15 minutes every day at 8:30 am before I go to work. If I need to, I will put in headphones to drown out the extra noise and reduce distractions. My work doesn’t have to be perfect, and I need to show up and do it. Every. Single. Day.

Where can you learn more about creating a habitual creative practice?

I love SkillShare – an online learning environment with hundreds of courses you can take to learn new techniques and enhance your skills. Sign up for a free trial, take some classes and see what else you learn.

365 Day Project
You Can Draw Anything!
Stick to it: How to Maintain a Creative Practice

If you already use skillshare – are there any classes you’ve enjoyed? I’d like to know.

Want to start handlettering? Check out my post for beginning lettering supplies.

9 Motivational Shakespeare Quotes for Your Planner

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9 Motivational Shakespeare Quotes for Your Planner + Bonus Quotes

Motivational Shakespeare Quotes for your Planner - Get the printables in the Shop! | ChocolateMusings.com #motivationalquotes #shakespeare

To celebrate “Talk Like Shakespeare Day” on April 23rd, the April Instagram Challenge consisted of a few favorite Shakespeare quotes. Who knew that Shakespeare was also a motivational speaker? Woven into his tragedies and comedies, you find snippets of inspiration for every day – find a few of my favorite Motivational Shakespeare Quotes + some of my other favorites below.

I know I’m not the only quote geek in the planner world, so I wanted to share a few of the motivational quotes I revisited recently. It’s fun to use quotes in your planner or for practice if you’re working on penmanship or learning how to letter. That’s what I did in April!

ChocolateMusings.com Shop - Find it in the shop!

P.S. I made printables for every quote – check them out in my shop!

Add Quotes for Motivation & Handlettering Practice

I find that adding quotes to my planner reminds me to slow down and remember what’s important to me. A bonus is practicing my lettering!

Throughout April, I used many of these quotes to develop my pointed pen techniques. If you’re just getting into the world of lettering, a pointed pen is usually a pen with a removable tip called a nib that you dip in ink. Similar to what they did in the times of Shakespeare. Comparable to brush pens, you can get beautiful thick and thin lines.

  • What's in a Name? Romeo & Juliet Quote - Quotes for your planner | ChocolateMusings.com #quotes
  • Forever and a Day Quote William Shakespeare Quotes for your planner | ChocolateMusings.com #quotes
  • This above all: to thine own self be true - William Shakespeare quotes for your planner | ChocolateMusings.com #betrue #quotes #motivational
  • This above all: to thine own self be true - William Shakespeare quotes for your planner | ChocolateMusings.com #betrue #quotes #motivational

I feel that writing with a pointed pen is so therapeutic. Some people love the sound of a scratchy nib on paper as they write. What I love is the way the page feels after I write and the ink is dry. The dried ink leaves a raised texture on the paper. And I love it.

I prefer an oblique pen to a straight pen with a nib. (See ‘forever and a day’ picture above.) All I have is a simple one, right now. I’d love to buy a fancy one someday soon. Once you get the hang of pressing down for thick lines and lifting for thin lines, the words become mesmerizing. When I created the Mother Theresa Printable a few months ago, I kept blobbing the ink on the first two lines. After I got past those lines, I was finally able to write the entire thing, and it was so incredibly satisfying!

Sometimes it takes several tries to get it the way you want it. As you can see above, it took me quite a few tries to write “to thine own self be true” with a glass nib pen. Learning & messing up is just part of the process.

Pointed Pen vs. Brush Pens

I find that the technique for using a pointed pen translates back and forth for brush pens and pointed pens. You press harder when you want a thick stroke, and use the tip of the pen/nib for thin strokes. If you need some fantastic quotes to try with your brush pens or pointed pen, try some Shakespeare.

Everything feels fancier when you write Shakespeare’s words. ~Tricia @ Chocolate Musings. In case you’re wondering, that’s an original quote by me. You could put that in your planner too if you wanted.

  • Quote Ideas for your Planner If Music be the Food of Love, Play On - Williams Shakespeare with Music Note Wreath | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Quote Ideas for your Planner If Music be the Food of Love, Play On - Williams Shakespeare Floral Wreath | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Quote Ideas for your Planner Nothing will come of Nothing - Williams Shakespeare Floral Wreath | ChocolateMusings.com

Here are a few Motivational Shakespeare Quotes to include in your planner:

All That Glitters is Not Gold. – The Merchant of Venice

Be not afraid of greatness. (You could end it right there if you wanted – but it continues)

Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. – Twelfth Night

Nothing will come of nothing. – King Lear

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This above all: To thine own self be true. – Hamlet

Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. – All’s Well That Ends Well

No legacy is so rich as honesty. – All’s Well That Ends Well

It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves. – Julis Caesar

Be great in act, as you have been in thought. – King John

We know who we are, but know not what we may be. – Hamlet

All of these quotes remind me to pursue amazing things in my life, but the last one is a distinct reminder never to forget where I genuinely want to go and not to sell myself short. Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below! I’d also love to hear if you have a different favorite quote!

Bonus Quotes

I couldn’t stop there. Some of my favorite Shakespeare quotes wouldn’t classify as motivational, but some words speak powerfully to me, and I want to share them with you.

  • Forever and a day. – Taming of the Shrew (I added a twist to this one, too)
  • The course of true love never did run smooth. – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
  • If music be the food of love, play on. The Twelfth Night
  • What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. – Romeo and Juliet
  • They do not love that do not show their love. – Gentlemen of Verona

I want to paint the quote ‘forever and a day’ above my bed on my wall. Not now, but when we move. I’m secretly making plans for the new house we will eventually buy, and collecting quotes is definitely part of that plan! I think instead of just saying ‘forever and a day’ I would paint “I will love you forever and a day.”

Which ones would you include in your planner or on your wall?

Check out my shop for printables for your wall or planner!

ChocolateMusings.com Shop - Find it in the shop!

My 5 Favorite Flower Drawing & Reference Books

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Favorite Flower Drawing and Reference Books (and why) + Video Flip Through | ChocolateMusings.com #floral #flower #howtodrawflowers

My top 5 Favorite Flower Drawing & Reference Books

When the weather gets warmer, and the pollen gets yellow (you know what I mean if you’ve visited the south US in the spring), I start doodling and drawing more flowers. I should probably do that more in the winter (because it makes me happy), but winter is so…blah. I even started a Pinterest board just for leaves on tree branches. Today, I wanted to show you the flower drawing & reference books I keep close at hand.

Similar to why I love to bullet journal, I love a physical book as a reference when I draw. Maybe it’s the fact that I don’t fear mindlessly scrolling away and losing my reference or that I can hold the book in my hand or perhaps I’m just old school.

It doesn’t matter the reason why I have floral reference books, and I thought I would show you some of the books I use as my flower drawing references. And what’s more, is I thought you might find it useful even if you tuck it away for reference later on in your artistic journey. To help a little more, I created a comparison guide for the flower drawing books & references. If you have your own reference books, this table is a great way to show the differences in the books.

Comparison Guide for Flower drawing and reference books | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdarawing #floral #botanical

Book Overview

We want to move to a new house in the next year or so. Don’t tell my husband, but I want a big library with reference books galore. But I won’t buy them until we’ve moved to a new house and all the books have their own home. I ultimately intend on keeping them sorted by type and not by the author. All of my flower books in one section, all of my dragon books in another. (FYI: I have one dragon book.)

Some of the books are more beginner friendly. Others have more information and photos plus line illustrations. They range from Peggy Deans’ Botanical Line Drawing to a book that I found on Amazon that shipped from England and took two months to find me.

Botanical Line Drawing
How to Draw Modern Florals
Wild Flowers by Colour
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers
An Illustrated Guide to Garden Flowers

I made a quick video featuring each of these books – you can watch the video below or head over to my YouTube channel to check it out.

For some other fantastic resources – check out the series books by National Audubon Society Field Guides.  I want to get the ones on birds and rocks & gems. They have amazing photography and line drawings too. I’m not at all intrigued by the amphibians and reptiles. I don’t like snakes one bit.

I happened on an astounding resource of wildflowers here. There are so many more books I want to leaf through and hold in my hands. But I do want to be picky when it comes to resources. I need my flower drawing books to add something or give me a new perspective. Come to think of it, I need all my books to add something or provide a new perspective.

This list is not a comprehensive list. There are so many more ‘how to’ books ‘how to’ books and reference books for florals. What I’d love to know from you is which ones (if any) have you tried and what you thought!

Where to Start with Flower Drawing Books?

If you want to start drawing flowers but feel overwhelmed, start with a step-by-step guide. The Botanical Line Drawing & How to Draw Modern Florals books are great for starting. You’ll learn many petals and shapes. You could draw from them for ages.

Botanical Line Drawing By Peggy Dean

  • Great for beginners
  • Line drawing only
  • 200 + Flower & Nature Illustration
  • Organized by type
  • Use the hashtag on Instagram #botanicallinedrawing when drawing items from Peggy’s book

I listed ‘organized by type as a half-circle on my comparison because there are a couple of sections in her book: leaves, flowers, cacti & succulents & more nature.

One thing I didn’t expect from The Botanical Line Drawing book is that none of the flowers were labeled. You don’t need a name to draw it, but I would like to know the name. Because using #unknownflowername isn’t as fun as #trillium or even #pennywort on Instagram.  It’s a personal preference, and it hasn’t stopped me from referring to her fantastic book over and over again and immensely improving my floral drawings.

I’m very excited about her new book! Guide to Nature Drawing & Watercolor.

  • Flower drawing and references - Botanical Line Drawing | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral #howtodraw
  • Flower drawing and references - Botanical Line Drawing | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral #howtodraw

How to Draw Modern Florals by Alli Koch

Create beautiful and realistic-looking flowers. There is plenty of line work inside the petals and leaves that you can choose to add or leave out when drawing your own modern florals.

  • 20+ Detailed Outline drawings (you’ll see the width of the stems and more detail of the flowers)
  • Flower names – each one is labeled with their common flower name
  • Beginner friendly – with step by step drawings & instructions, you can start small & work into more complex drawings
  • Flower drawing and references - How to Draw Modern Florals | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral #howtodraw

Need Line Drawings AND Reference Photos?

I like to look at pictures and line drawings. I use the photographs for real-world reference, colors, and imperfections.  But I also like line drawings so I can see the form and lines of the flower. That’s why I like Wild Flowers by Colour, Field Guide to Wildflowers and the Illustrated Guide to Garden Flowers. But these books don’t show step-by-step instructions on how to draw flowers.

National Audubon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers

One thing I really like about this book’s pictures is that each picture shows the general shape of the flower – so you can see how they grow together and the general shape of the petals. I use this book to cross-reference different flowers I find on Pinterest to make sure I’m calling it by the right name.

  • Broken into flower family classifications
  • Real-life photos
  • Some illustrated drawings (does not have each one illustrated)
  • Common & Scientific names
  • Flower drawing and references - Audubon Field Guide to Wildflowers | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral
  • Flower drawing and references - Audubon Field Guide to Wildflowers | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral

An Illustrated Guide To Garden Flowers

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find many more on Amazon. If you see it, grab it – it’s my favorite. With both photos & illustrated line drawings of each flower, it is a wonderful reference book. It’s geared to those who want to raise flowers, but it makes a wonderful flower drawing reference book.

  • Scientific & Common Names
  • Illustrations
  • Real-life photos
  • Multiple sections in addition to flower type, it has sections of annuals & perennials & bulbs.
  • Flower drawing and references - Illustrated Guide to Garden Flowers | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral #howtodraw
  • Flower drawing and references - Illustrated Guide to Garden Flowers | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral #howtodraw

Majorie Blammey’s Wildflowers by Colour

I cannot remember who first referenced this book, but I thought it was amazing when I first saw it. By chance, I found it for a very decent price on Amazon from a private seller and had to wait impatiently for it to ship from the UK. There are no real-life photos, but instead, each flower is a color illustration.

  • Common names
  • Classified by color then by type
  • Color line illustration
  • Flower drawing and references - Wildflowers by Colour | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral
  • Flower drawing and references - Wildflowers by Colour | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral
  • Flower drawing and references - Wildflowers by Colour | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral

Tip:  I found many other books at my local library, and my library lets me renew three times before having to return them.

The thing with drawing books of any kind, even if they are step-by-step and you feel like you’ve graduated beyond that skill or if you need super simple instructions, you can still find value in a reference book. I love going back through the books I own. I always end up learning something new or seeing something I’d forgotten.

What if You’re Practicing Kon Marie and Just Got Rid of Your Books or Don’t Want Any More Books?

First of all, if you threw out a bunch of books because you just Kon Marie’d your house (yes, I made it a verb), good for you. I’m working on decluttering, too. Flower drawing books aren’t ‘clutter’ to me if you’re wondering. But if you’re strictly digital and want nothing to do with buying books, follow me on Pinterest! I keep several boards with inspiration. Feel free to pin any images you’d like as a reference.

If you’re interested in drawing flowers, let me know what resources you enjoy (or ones you’ve found), I’d love to check them out.