I am always inspired by the area I am lucky enough to live in which is Mid Devon. In a small rural village surrounded by the lovely rolling Devon landscape.So today I was supposed to be painting a commission but my brush had other ideas and rather than waste time I began another summery flowery bee painting I will try as best I can to descibe how I got from a blank piece of paper to the finished piece
Firstly I take photos of what I see, I don't copy them but I use them to remember colours and shapes
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Then I sketch out my paln adding and taking away, deciding what will go where on the page
Sorry about the picture quality but I guess you get the idea.
I get settled in my studio ( otherwise known as the spare room ) . My palette and my view.....
I use Winsor and Newton artist quality paints and squeeze the paints from the tubes into my palette
Then I fill my water container and off I go....
This is where the photos come in handy. I use them to check colours, notice that the tips of nettle leaves are tinged red, I am not aiming for a perfect copy but an impression of what I have seen. An essence of Mid Devon in Mid Summer
I work across the page from left to right so I don't smudge what I have done. I work loosely and I splatter and sprinkle the paint on the paper
It all takes time and many a cup of tea is drunk, paintbrush dipped many times in the tea too!!....the bees take shape among the flowers....
I like everything to be connected so I like to keep some wet paint moving from flower to flower. It is also important to remember where to leave white for highlights e.g. on the ladybirds shells.
I use series seven brushes and hold a number in my hand as I go swapping and changing as needed
I also spray the palette from time to time to keep the paint nice and wet.
And so a happy day is spent I began at 9 and it is now 7.30 pm so the painting is done, I rub off any obvious pencil marks and stand back.....already thinking what shall I do tomorrow?