Swatched florals

Hello all, and happy Spring to you.  After three months working in the UK, I'm just in time for the (later) spring here in the Czech Republic, so it's all go in the garden, getting things pruned, cleared, planted and generally ready for the sunshine.  

I just thought I'd pop in and quickly share some watercolour florals with you - these are usually done in quick 20-minute bursts in the morning when I get up, adding layers day by day, and both pages have more space to fill yet.  But I hope you'll enjoy them.  

And here's one with a colour palette that you don't often see from me...

Here are just a couple of close-ups and process photos.  The initial pencil sketch for the first one was done in the almost-dark, as an exercise in trying to keep it loose.  I'm really happy with it - in fact, it might be my favourite stage of the painting!

Making a note of the colours I've used is a good discipline for me.  I'm still learning so much as I go.

There are so many exciting things going on behind the scenes at the moment, but I'm not allowed to share any of them with you yet!  It's shaping up to be a big year.  I know I've not been a very good blogger lately, but I hope you'll be able to come along for the ride with some of what's coming up.  

Thanks so much, as always, for your company on this creative journey.  Happy crafting, all!

Roses do not bloom hurriedly; for beauty, like any masterpiece, takes time to blossom.

Matshona Dhliwayo

Blossom by blossom, the spring begins.

Algernon Charles Swinburne

Garden Findings for Inktober

Hello all, a belated happy October to you.  I'm on the Inktober trail again, approaching things slightly differently this year.  Firstly, I'm trying to work from life rather than from photos as I did last year.  And secondly, I'm gathering small sketches onto a large journal page, rather than them each getting a page to themselves.  So I'm here to share the first spread with six sketches on it, as well as a few process photos.  I hope you like them.

(Yes, I know it's the 8th already, but I'm not bullying myself to do it daily, given there's quite a lot of other stuff going on at the moment!  I may catch up tomorrow, or I may not... we'll see!)  

And here they are in order from day 1, with a chance to see the pen sketch and the model in each case - which was just whatever I happened to pick up in the garden that day.

A sprig from the miniature crab apple tree...

Some random grasses from the "wilderness garden" round the back of the house... (some day I hope it will be a wildflower meadow under the plum trees, but for now it's a wilderness!)

A couple of slightly bedraggled leaves from one of the plum trees...

Some of the dried Aquilegia seed heads which I use quite a lot on my tags too (you've just seen them in action in the previous post)...

Some random dried out leaves (maybe plum?) - I thought this would be simple, but it was the trickiest one on the page...

And finally, some wild strawberry leaves.  This one took quite a few layers, and as I was doing chores in between layers, by the time I got to the finishing touches the strawberry leaves were starting to curl up around the edges...

So, that's the first page pretty much full.  It's a slightly stressful way of working, I've discovered... if each one is on its own page, if you mess up then it's only that one that's spoiled.  But here, if I do one I'm not happy with, that's in danger of undermining the whole page.  It was touch and go with those pale dried leaves, but I think I pulled it round!

For those who like to know these things, I'm using a Staedtler Pigment Liner 0.3, and Daniel Smith watercolours with Silver Black Velvet brushes, in a Moleskine A4 watercolour journal.

I hope October is treating you well, whatever you're up to, and I'll see you again soon.

I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.

From Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

(And it's on my EAB04 Autumn Edition quote set from PaperArtsy!)

Inktober Week 3

Hello again all.  I hope you're all doing well.  It's taken me a bit longer than seven days to collect the next seven paintings.

I took a deliberate day off from Inktober halfway through the month (it was starting to feel a bit of a chore and I wanted to release that pressure valve).  Then on Thursday I took delivery of a van load of boxes/furniture from the UK which meant I couldn't settle to anything while I was waiting for it to arrive, obviously couldn't do anything while we were unloading, spent some time doing a bit of sorting, and then the light had gone a bit too far, so I gave myself that day off too!

Long story short, at day 23 I finally have 15 - 21 to share with you, so I should really stop calling them "day x" and call them "painting x", I suppose...

Painting 15

Painting 16

Painting 17

Painting 18

Painting 19

Painting 20

Painting 21

I know which are my favourites... I wonder whether they're the same as yours...?!  As usual, here are a couple of process photos to give you an idea of what goes on along the way.  

I'm continuing to enjoy getting some proper darks in for contrast and depth, but I'm still struggling not to overwork things in the final stages... sometimes I remember to stop in time, sometimes not!  Onwards and upwards (hopefully)...

I promise to try to do some catching up with non-watercolour projects soon - there are plenty waiting in the wings, since I've been so neglectful of the blog.  And I'll also aim to do some proper catching up around Craftyblogland with those of you who don't do (shhh, whisper it) Instagram.  Hope you're all enjoying a lovely weekend and see you soon.

Practice what you know, and it will help to make clear what now you do not know.
Rembrandt

Creativity is the brain's invisible muscle -- that when used and exercised routinely -- becomes better and stronger.
Ashley Ormon

Inktober 2021 Week 1

Hello all.  Yes, I know, I've been shamefully neglecting Words and Pictures - I'm sorry!  Life is busy, and I'm afraid writing blogposts has been the thing which has dropped off the bottom of the to-do list.  But I'm tackling Inktober again this year, so I'm going to use that as a way to make my way back towards the blog.

Just like last year, I'm not following the official prompts.  I'm just using it as a way to get back in the swing of some daily drawing and painting practice... another thing which dropped off the radar - I've barely touched the watercolours since last October.

So I've been feeling a little rusty, but I'm back on the learning curve and enjoying the process.  So here are days one to seven.  I hope you like them...

And here are a few work-in-progress sequences, just so you can see a bit of the process...  Sometimes you get to see the middle stage, sometimes we're just going straight from the sketch to the end, because I wasn't stopping to take pictures half way!  (Remember you can always click to see the images in a larger size.)

 

      

 

       

 

I've been using a Sakrua Pigma Micron 05 pen in brown (except for day one when I used the wrong pen - all black and strong and way too much for me!!) and Daniel Smith watercolour paints in a Moleskine watercolour journal, which is cold pressed paper.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I should be seeing you again soon (or at least not with as long a wait as we've just had here in complete silence!).  Hope you're all doing well and crafting creatively.  Have a great weekend, all.

Art is born of the observation and investigation of nature.

Marcus Tullius Cicero