Category Archives: Flowers

August 31, 2012 · 4:13 AM

Sketch 6: African violets on a little table

I sat down with my pen and sketchbook today in my favorite chair in the family room. What to draw? At first I thought this table was too far across the room but then thought, Why not? And afterwards I wrote what I thought and learned as I drew. My son read my notes and thought it was a proverb. I suppose it could apply to life, yes?

“Go slowly. Be patient. Take your time. Think about the lines before you put them down. Which lines are unbroken? These go down first. You can’t erase, so any mistakes are incorporated, and the lessons learned are brought forward and used in the next drawing.”

Sketch #6: African Violets on a Table, Copic Multiliner

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August 10, 2012 · 6:14 PM

Forget-Me-Not

We did a lot of hiking up in the San Juans this year. The flowers were not as prolific this year but we did capture the precious few we could. I have to thank my son and my dad for being patient with Anna and me for all the stops we had to make to take pictures.

Forget-Me-Nots are tiny flowers, only about a quarter of an inch wide and growing in clumps. Here is a study of these pretty guys.

First, the pencil drawing.

Forget-Me-Nots, pencil, 2×2″

Then I inked the drawing and removed the pencil.

Forget-Me-Nots, inked drawing, 2×2″

Finally, the watercolor. I like it but I’ll do it over again a few times to get a better feel for it.

Forget-Me-Nots, watercolor, 2×2″

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May 22, 2012 · 2:28 PM

Light Calibrachoa

Calibrachoa No. 2, watercolor, 6″x6″

I’m on a string of painting “failures,” AKA “learning experiences.” I started a large painting, 14″x18″ and felt I could not control it properly. As is common for me, I liked my drawing but ruined it with the paint.  I ended up soaking the whole sheet in water and playing with the softened image that remained. Still was not happy. Here is a 6″x6″ portion of the painting that I cut from the larger work; the part I found interesting.

This is a painting of the same flowers in “Loving Flowers.” The two paintings are so different that you wouldn’t know that they came from the same inspiration.

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May 13, 2012 · 2:03 AM

Orchid

“Orchid Leaves” watercolor 9×9″

Sometimes the leaves of a flowering plant are pretty, too. I liked the way these orchid leaves curved, and enjoyed painting a simple rendering.

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May 7, 2012 · 4:42 PM

Loving flowers

Calibrachoa, similar to a petunia but not exactly. Super brightly colored flowers that they say will bloom all summer long with no deadheading. I love painting flowers.

Calibrachoa 1, watercolor 8×10″

For this painting I made the drawing while looking at the actual plant. I added color later in the studio without referring back to the plant itself or a photo.  When I looked at the plant again I saw there was a lot more white than I recalled.

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