Carnation Carnival

A bit tired of doing Christmas images (not really!) so I plunged right back into the floral world by drawing and painting the lowly carnation which is my January birth month's flower. Always the cheapest you can buy they are stuck into bouquets for fillers or in funeral arrangements. How sad! I said that this common specimen is so often overlooked by artists...by me, at least in pursuit of more worthy blooms such as the romantic rose, the classic calla lily, or the terrific tulip.

So with that in mind after my drawing was done on 11x15 Strathmore 140 lb paper, I spritzed cobalt blue, arylide yellow, and permanent rose onto dry paper. I used a black and white photo and not color to get as spontaneous as possible. Next I began laying in the darks and wanted this flower to appear multicolored and mysterious, not at all like its usual self. So a pale pink carnation becomes the belle of the ball. Just in time for Christmas! Ho, ho, ho! I hope you like it!