Barunai Botanica
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barunaibotanica.bsky.social
Barunai Botanica
@barunaibotanica.bsky.social
400 followers 63 following 230 posts
The Art of Sarah Halim. Botany and bird enthusiast, lover of coffee ☕🩷

📸instagram.com/barunai_botanica
✉️ barunai.botanica@gmail.com
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barunaibotanica.bsky.social
Finished partial page illustration of simpor air (Dillenia suffruticosa) for my wip illustrated book, Barunai Botanica Vol.1
#botanicalart #botany #SciArt🐡
A watercolor illustration of a flower with yellow and orange petals. The centre of the flower is a mass of white, stringy filaments bunched together around a single star-shaped white structure, which is the flower's stigma (female reproductive part of the flower)
April 10, 2025 at 2:01 PM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
Progress shots. The specimen I had was already starting to wither. The inflorescence doesn't last long after cutting
Photo showing an ashy pink withering torch ginger inflorescence held up against white paper, upon which a pencil sketch of the inflorescence is drawn Halfway finished watercolor illustration of a torch ginger inflorescence, it's numerous scaly bracts covering a cone-shaped peduncle borne on a single stem. In this half-done illustration, the watercolors are still light-- splashes of pale pink for the bracts and ochre-green for the stem
April 8, 2025 at 2:44 PM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
I've been busy working on the side, but have thoroughly neglected this account woops! I'm far more active on my Instagram

Study of a withered torch ginger inflorescence. Even in this worn state, it doesn't fail to keep me captivated
#botanicalart #botany #SciArt🐡
Watercolor and pencil illustration of a torch ginger inflorescence. The inflorescence is covered in numerous overlapping 'petals'. The 'petals' (which are actually bracts) are rather dry and withered looking here, the usual vigorous red of the torch ginger turned ashy pink with age and dehydration
April 8, 2025 at 8:35 AM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
Sketching this on paper and taping them together using washi tape. I am not the most refined artist but it gets the job done
Photo of three pieces of art paper, one side being taped together alongside the rest with cream-orange tape to form one single wide spread of paper. On the paper are sketched with pencil a pair of hornbills amidst lush foliage
March 7, 2025 at 6:03 PM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
The unhinged amount of detail I'm going to be pouring into this wide format illustration (if it gets approved)
#digitalpainting #SciArt🐡
Photo showing a screen with a sketchy drawing of two hornbills perching on a branch, surrounded by lush greenery
March 7, 2025 at 5:55 PM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
Thank you ✨ I based her off an opal and named her after one haha
March 7, 2025 at 5:52 PM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
Completely unrelated (sort of) but MHWilds' Scarlet Forest is so beautiful and inspires me a lot! ✨
March 5, 2025 at 11:34 AM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
Still working on this massive painting, honestly it's been slow going simply because I procrastinated. But seeing the result from my previous, smaller painting keeps me going
#botanicalart #painting
Photo of a two vibrant acrylic and gouache paintings, one of red flowers and greenish yellow flowers and another much larger painting of lush green leaves and drooping crimson and yellow flowers
March 3, 2025 at 2:01 AM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
More work on kodop (Schizophyllum commune). The detailing of the gills is a challenging but worth the work!
Also forgive the bad photography I'm no good at taking pics of my art
#Fungi🍄 #SciArt🐡 #Botany
Pencil drawing of a fan shaped fungus with very fine frills, or gills
February 14, 2025 at 1:39 PM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
Pencil study of Schizophyllum commune, known as "kadap" or "kulat sisir"(comb mushroom) in Malay.
#mushroom🍄 #fungi #SciArt🐡
Detailed pencil illustration of the underside of a splitgill mushroom, shaped like an irregular scallop or fan. Its underside is covered in fine pleats or gill-like structures
February 5, 2025 at 1:03 PM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
More orchids! I'm planning to make a sticker sheet, if I can just arrange them nicely enough
Featuring Bamboo Orchid (Arundinia graminifolia) and Helmet Orchid (Corybas pictus)
A photo showing a halfway done digital art drawing of two orchid species, one small and round (white and red) with a single heart-shaped leaf and another larger, with white and purple petals
February 3, 2025 at 12:19 PM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
Dendrobium crumenatum, also known as Anggerek Merpati or Pigeon Orchid. They'd grow in trees close to the roadsides, where when it's flowering time they look like cascading necklaces of white blooms
#orchid #botanicalart
Pencil sketch of two blooming orchids, with unopened buds beside them. The buds look like resting doves with their wings tucked against their sides, little beaks pointed skyward. This is why it is called a pigeon orchid.
February 3, 2025 at 2:15 AM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
Can anyone help me identify this bracket fungi? It's called 'kodop' or 'kadap' here in Brunei and is edible. I haven't been able to correctly identify the species
#fungi #mushroom 🍄
Photo showing a white paper plate of small scallop-shaped fungi/mushroom, grey-white on the top side and brown below. The underside of the mushroom has numerous, pleated frills. Photo showing a white paper plate of small scallop-shaped fungi/mushroom, grey-white on the top side and brown below. The underside of the mushroom has numerous, pleated frills.
January 30, 2025 at 12:25 PM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
I'm so proud of my students they did so well in class!
Photo showing someone painting a brilliant deep purple orchid using watercolors Photo showing someone painting a purple orchid detailed with deep dark violet veins and striations Photo showing someone in the middle of painting a half finished pale orange rose Photo of someone sketching a rose on paper with a pencil, while a lovely pale pink rose sits in a vase next to them
January 25, 2025 at 12:51 PM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
The workshop went great today! I'm teaching a starter class on botanical illustration & we drew roses ✨
It's a special day for the class because camera crew for Radio Television Brunei came to record the session
Paper showing a halfway done watercolor illustration of a soft pink rose with a yellow centre, framed by pastel pink roses, orchids and paints Photo showing a classroom full of students studying how to paint using watercolors. They are busy looking down on their papers and paints. A spray of soft orange roses in a vase sits on one of the tables, a lovely specimen the students are using as reference. In the background, TV crew holding video cameras are recording the whole thing
January 25, 2025 at 12:40 PM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
I love wild grasses with their little blooms. I don't know what these are yet, but they're very lovely
Photo of a small, vibrant green grass with yellow flowers nestled among brown leaf litter Photo of a small species of grass with star-shaped white flowers
January 24, 2025 at 12:35 AM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
An attempt was made....
I am happy with the details but I dislike working with symmetry (because I'm no good at it yet haha)
#Butterfly #Invertebrate
A painting done in watercolor of a (somewhat lopsided) butterfly with lemon yellow wings striped in black. The bottom of the wings are tinted in shimmering blue
January 21, 2025 at 1:57 PM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
Really sorry for disappearing for a bit! Social media is overwhelming and multiple accounts even more so. Atleast there's some progress on this painting
A half finished painting of red and yellow heliconia flowers. The rest of the painting is still sketched in pencil
January 19, 2025 at 6:05 AM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
I once did a little collection of 'cards' featuring some plants found & used as food/medicine in Brunei

The seeds of engkabang (Shorea macrophylla) are used to make a tasty butter that goes great with hot rice!
#SciArt🐡 #Botany #SouthEastAsia
A watercolor drawing of a winged seed similar in shape of a maple seed, but with five wings instead of just two. It is an earthy brown color and the nut is quite shiny and amusingly rounded in shape.
November 27, 2024 at 12:41 PM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
"I will always dove you!"
#Birds🪶 #BirdArt
Pencil drawing of two zebra doves with delicately banded feathers cuddling close together
November 26, 2024 at 12:05 AM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
I have prints of my botanical illustrations available in A5 and A4 sizes, I'm trying to see if there's any interest in them?

I ship from Southeast Asia too so I worry the shipping fees might turn some ppl off ;-;
#SciArt🐡 #Botany #BotanicalArt
Photo of several botanical art prints (of colorful flowers and a hornbill) the size of postcards, laid out presentably on a table with white and gold table cloth Photo of a single botanical art print in A4 size featuring irises with velvety dark purple petals, laid up against a small easel. A small sticker of a green, blue and pink succulent is placed presentably next to it
November 23, 2024 at 3:02 PM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
I am intimidated
Photo of a large canvas with half-finished pencil drawings of hanging flowers shaped like bird's beaks. It stands on a rickety easel
November 22, 2024 at 1:50 AM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
Hoya imperialis, a beautiful Hoya with large dusky red blooms. I should draw more hoyas
#SciArt🐡 #BotanicalArt
A watercolor illustration of dusky red Hoya blossoms shaped like five point stars, mottled in dark maroon with soft cream colored centers. The background has many dark and light green glossy leaves, with golden stars scattered among them
November 21, 2024 at 1:14 AM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
I took a break and now I'm back to work (sort of, I'm mostly playing on my phone and drinking coffee)
November 20, 2024 at 3:56 AM
barunaibotanica.bsky.social
These caladiums, wow! Such beautiful colors, I want to paint them sometime
November 17, 2024 at 1:05 PM