Onions - part II

I'm slowly working on this painting, but I love doing it. Layer-on-layer the onions are 'growing'.

Onions - part I

Last week classes started and I started working on my onions. It is going to be an oil painting (30 x 40 cm). Only the first onion has (partly) its first layer (don't mind all the charcoal residues...). A lot more work to be done!

I am very enthousiastic about these classes and I think I will learn a lot!

Classes have started!

After a long (and cold) summer, we started again with our weekly drawing/painting classes. This year we have a new teacher - he is a professional artist and I think he'll make classes interesting.

The first small task was to sketch a bowl of apples, in 10 minutes - no more! This way he wanted to see what level we all are and we could discuss what we want to learn this year. After that, we were allowed to work on a project of your own. I decided to (finally) finish my cherries in graphite.

10 minute-sketch (ink and watercolor)

Finished drawing in graphite

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IF: Layer (Fleur-de-Lis)

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I needed some spring in my house, so I bought myself a bunch of beautiful Fleur-de-Lis's. And while they were blooming, I wanted to paint these colorful flowers. It is done in watercolor and I used a lot of layers.

Exercise - Garlic

This week, during drawing class, I started with some studies of garlic. I hope one day to create a Botanic Illustration from it.

The first drawings were done with graphite and watercolorpencil (and water on too thin paper :( 

The second drawing is done in watercolorpencil - I don't think I can work detailled enough with that material. So next time I'll use my regular brushes and watercolorpaint.

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Walnut

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Finally, I found some time to finish these graphite drawings of a walnut. I planned to make a threesome and draw a whole walnut as third, maybe I'll add it in the (near) future. 

Walnut

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A few weeks ago I started with the first steps in botanical illustration. I found a group on the internet where fabulous artists are gathered and they give wonderful tips - I've already learned so much, just by reading some of the discussions.

In 'On my desk' (on the left side of this blog) you might have seen some drawings of walnuts for quite some time now and I wanted to try one in color. I think it might need some more shade to add depth, but I wanted to share this already.

Leaf in sepia

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Yesterday at drawing class, I wasn't in the mood for a big and detailled project. So I made this quick sketch of an almost dried autumn-leaf. It is done with pigmented ink (sepia).

Practice, practice, practice

A few weeks ago I started with botanical illustrations in a more serious way. I had this book for some time now and never gotten to it to start. After reading the first paragraphs, watching other peoples drawings and getting some advice from great artists in this field, I started my first drawings - not in color, but start with pencil drawings.

A pear in different angles and a leaf from the hydrangea

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Leaf from a Japanese Maple

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Trio ATC

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Yesterday I finished this trio of ATC's. I loved working on these miniatures.

Tulip

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My drawing/painting classes have started again. It always gives me extra inspiration to start on something new, something else - something I haven't tried before or to exercise my techniques. 

The first project was this tulip, done in watercolor on 300 g/m2 hot pressed paper. The size is about 24 x 15 cm.

Leaves

You can find the most amazing things on YouTube... I wanted to better myself in watercolor paintings, and mostly for botanical paintings. I found a tutorial from Helen Fitzgerald and I immediately wanted to try that.

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The first leave wasn't a succes, the second one is getting better - I know I need to practice more! So when my painting classes started last week (yeeeeey, finally they started), I picked a leave and tried to paint it. This is the result:

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IF: Double

So many things to choose from... but I got stuck with my fruits, just like last entry for IF. This time 'the cherries'! They always grow as a pair - so you always have a double amount of them.

And to make it complete - I created a double ATC: one with outlining and one without (just as an exercise).

ATC (2,5" x 3,5")

Exercise -Tomatoes

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Last week I painted some fresh, red tomatoes. I am not so thrilled with the result as I was with the onion (see this post), but for an exercise it's not bad.

Exercise - Onion

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Just a small exercise - the onion. I wanted to try out my new Kolinsky Red Sable watercolor brushes, numbers 4, 2, 0 and 3/0.

It's a painting that made my husband cry ;)

Small painting

Last week I made this small watercolor painting. I enjoyed working with watercolor this way again - usually I work with pastels.