Mushrooms on trees drawing

The Outside Story: “When Mushrooms Attack” by Rachel Sargent. Illustration by Adelaide Tyrol. “There was a time in the waters known by the Abenaki peoples as Kwenitegok, “The oyster mushroom: delicious, frequently spotted on veggie pizzas, and predatory. That's right. The hyphae of many fungi, including the oyster mushroom, attack and paralyze prey…”

The first time I decided to draw a mushroom, I was sitting outside in my backyard, inspired by the small fungi sprouting after a recent rain. I grabbed my sketchpad and pencil, feeling both excited and a tad overwhelmed. Starting with the basic shape of the mushroom cap was my initial step. It was simpler than I anticipated, which encouraged me to keep going. Next, I sketched the stalk and added some details like the gills beneath the cap. With each stroke, my mushroom began to take on a…

Last week we went to the Arboretum in Arcadia to sketch plants. For homework this week we had to do 6 pages of plant sketches and also a "redesign" project, with at least 2 pages worth of ideas for the redesign. I was actually more excited about the 'mushroom houses' idea, but I decided to go with the pumpkin monster since that had more of a 'redesign' aspect to it, instead of using mushrooms/acorns/pinecones just as they were. Also, I realized mushrooms are technically animals and not…