Painting completed

I have had so many interruptions between my last post and finishing the Dryandra formosa. There have been many students sending in their work to be critiqued before I leave for holidays - there have been friends to catch up with that I have sadly neglected due to my heavy work committment - and there have been some Christmas get togethers.

 

I am sure many of you are experiencing similar situations.

 

Last night I was tossing and turning thinking of all the things I need to do before leaving for overseas. Naturally I have lists but do not like leaving things to the last minute.

 

I had hoped to get another painting done before I left, and will at least get the drawing and initial washes completed, as it is not planned as a large piece.

 

So I now give you my finished work. Time to put it to bed and move on.

 

 









The wonderful characteristics of this plant that attract me are the curling, twisting leaves which intertwine giving fabulous movement and interest. I have kept the stem light so as not to detract from the other areas I wanted to enhance.

 

Although I do not often put botanical lettering on my work, I thought this painting deserved it as it is a good balance and it finishes it off.

 

I hope you have enjoyed my journey through the Dryandra - even though it seemed very protracted. Perhaps this gives some followers more of a sense of what is involved and how long it takes (with interruptions - as life gets in the way) from the initial concept and drawing to the final piece.



 

 



The importance of tone

Never underestimate the importance of tone and tonal contrast.

 

Below are the before and after images of tone, contrast and colour harmony to enhance the leaves of the Dryandra.

Leaves before tone.

 After tone

 

Notice how the tone gives shape and thickness to the leaves. The various tonal qualities also push some leaves back, and bring some forward.

 

Tone must be balanced throughout the painting. As the tonal qualities are built up in the leaves, they are also build up in the flower, so the finished painting is balanced:

 

COMPOSITIONALLY

TONALLY

WITH COLOUR

 

Older leaves were added to balance and enhance the painting through colour.

 

 

I will be posting the final painting later today.

 

My other work is beckoning me. I was up at 5am and able to work very successfully with the light though my window. I painted until about 8 then had breakfast. I try and keep a routine in my everyday life, and allow for "life to get in the way".

 

The rest of the morning will be emersed in critiquing my external student's work, which is another aspect of my life I thoroughly enjoy. They always inspire me, and it makes my day when I open an envelope to find some wonderful, creative work from my very talented external students.

 

There is a whole world of undiscovered talent out there and the work I receive from students who have never picked up a paintbrush or done any previous drawing is astounding.

 

My days are never dull.....







The Devil's in the Detail

I have been painting most of the weekend on the flowers of the Dryandra formosa. It is now coming together and I can see what I need and want to put in.

 

As I was happily applying washes and adding some more details this morning, I suddenly thought "Oh no, I havent taken any photos to post". So here is where I am with the painting.

 

 

 

There are still more overall washes to apply and I will now focus on tone and tonal balance, colour and colour harmony and of course refining the detail.

  

 

The more I do, the more excited I become and the more anxious I am to see the finished result, which I will share with you.

Dryandra formosa

Now I have moved past the initial foundation stages of my Dryandra painting, I can actually see a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

 

It is quite extraordinary that now I am working in my new office/studio, I am so much more relaxed, am spending even more enjoyable hours in here and all facets of my work are up to date. It is almost as if I have extra hours in the day.

 

I do not work late at night, but I can now paint until  about 7.30 as the light is so good in my studio.

 

As Christmas is fast approaching, and I leave for New York on 21st December, there are many friends I am making a concerted effort to see, especially those that I do not catch up with regularly. I am sure many of you can relate to that.

 

I should be finished by Dryandra painting this weekend, and would like to try and get another painting done before I leave. When in Queensland recently I collected some very stunning and unusual specimens so they are next on the list.

 

Initial washes

 

Dryandra formosa

This is the scene I was greeted with early this morning. The sun bursting over a solid silhouette of the skyline. Sometimes I think it doesn't get much better than this. Early mornings are so peaceful and still.....



Finally! It has taken a while but I have finished my drawing of a Dryandra formosa in preparation for my next botanical painting. It was done between sorting paperwork that came out of the office, actually clearing out the office and keeping abreast of work committments.



Apologies for the quality of the images, but it was drawn directly on to 300gsm HP Arches watercolour paper with HB pencil. Due to the intricate nature of the work it would not have been feasible to complete a separate master drawing and transfer that.



I love the twists and turns, curves and arcs of the delicate leaves. I love the overall movement and chaotic growth of the leaves. The flowers grow at various angles from a slender branch.

I like to leave the initial drawing for a while so will look at it again in the morning to ensure I am happy with the balance and composition. Always view your work on a vertical surface and anything that is not right will jump out at you.

Not sure when I can begin the first washes, and from there I will probably work on it every day until finished, which should (all going well) be about 5-7 days. Life does tend to get in the way.

On Monday the removalist is taking away all the furniture in my office/studio and on Tuesday the builder is coming in to do the installation. More photos to post. I will naturally have to spend some time putting everything back in to the office but do not see that as a problem. I can put my hands on anything (except for 2 free movie tickets and a DJ gift voucher). I am sure I must have put them in a "safe" place that I would remember!

The genus Dryandra is a member of the Protea family of plants and is found only in Western Australia. Many authorities now include the Dryandra within an expanded Banksia genus  as they are closely related, although there is some opposition to this occurring.

Happy drawing and painting! And join me on the journey through the various stages of painting the Dryandra formosa.