Feeling Festive with Veggiebaubles

Ooh, I haven't posted here for a little while, but I can't resist a celebration. For the December and January sketchbooks it's all about celebration. Christmas and New Year is always a good time to let the creative hair down and really go to town on a composition. 

For December I actually started with the wrong sketchbook, and before I realised, I had finished it with a Christmas design of vegetables parading themselves as Christmas baubles. All they need is the tree. Well, I must do something equally stylish for New Year and hope that the two recipients don't mind that I completed their books the wrong way round. Oops.

For Christmas we get a red onion with a raffia tie hanging from the top of the page. Seriously OTT I know, but I just loved this idea and really wanted to go for it.

Progress on the onion with the colour charts

Followed by a lovely bright red tomato. Rudolph would be green with envy.

As always, I love playing with typography, and a festive greeting was just the ticket. A little Christmas card to be enjoyed at Easter time when we finish the exchange.

The finished piece for Debbie's sketchbook

   

Ida Mitrani: May 2014-The Mandarin duck and the Amaryllis

An illustration inspired by an everlasting love between a Mandarin duck and an Amaryllis...

Derwent Studio pencils with pen
 

I've always had an interest in hybridization and the desire for humans to take control over Nature and create stronger species (selective breeding or artificial selection)

I wanted to create a drawing based on what could be the story of a forbidden and everlasting love. A fairy tale version of  two absolutely different species,which merged together and unite to become one.

Using a drawing I made of an Amaryllis Regina at the beginning of the year, I combined it with the feathers of both male and female Mandarin ducks.

'In traditional Chinese culture, Mandarin ducks are believed to be lifelong couples, unlike other species of ducks. Hence they are regarded as a symbol of conjugal affection and fidelity, and are frequently featured in Chinese art.' Wikipedia




Male feathers are more colourful

 

 

 

I also decided to include the ducks beaks merging them with the buds of the flower.

 

 

 
















 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the best laid plans…….. getting your bloom times right!

February pages in Debbie's sketchbook- Nature Trail 2014, a natural sketchbook exchange.
© 2014 Aislinn Adams

Plan A- Indian plum, Oemleria cerasiformis, bud break!

After such an exciting start to the nature sketchbook exchange in January I had lots of ideas about what I was going to paint in Debbie's journal for February. I should have known better. When dealing with "Nature" nothing can be taken for granted.  I have a long term project to paint the native plants of this area and, with spring on the way here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, I wanted to paint one of the earliest flowering native shrubs, Indian plum, Oemleria cerasiformis, in the sketchbook. I started my studies in a larger Stillman & Birn journal, hoping to capture the bud at various stages of opening. Alas! that was before we got a large dump of snow right in the middle of bud-burst. This delayed bloom time just enough to make it too late for me to paint it into the sketchbook.

Indian plum, Oemleria cerasiformis, buds.

Virginia witch hazel, Hamamelis virginiana, seeds

Plan B- Virginia witch hazel, Hamamelis virginiana, in bloom!

I have a commission for Virginia witch hazel, Hamamelis virginiana,  from an extremely patient client (still waiting for it a year later.) This is the season to do it I thought to myself and, in an effort to use my time more efficiently, I decided to include it in my sketchbook. However, Virginia witch hazel, native to the eastern U. S., is not that common here. I asked around and, while everyone could point to the exotic witch hazels that were just coming into bloom, virtually no one knew the Virginia species. Luckily for me I had to visit a local nursery at the same time, on a different errand. Heritage Seedlings Nursery are known for specializing in native seeds for restoration projects but what I didn't know was that they also grow lots of witch hazels, and they use Virginia witch hazel as rooting stock for the exotic cultivars. Delighted to hear this I tramped off down the long grassy corridors between the trees and shrubs with two very obliging nursery people in search of the elusive shrub. We found plenty of the cultivars in bloom but no flowers on the "Virginian."

Virginia witch hazel, Hamamelis virginiana, withered leaf. Graphite.

From flowers to old leaves and strange seeds.

The snow had not melted long so we wondered if the flowers has been damaged by the harsh conditions. Still, all was not lost. The shrub did have interesting seed capsules and some lovely withered leaves stubbornly clinging to its branches. I love withered leaves and unusual seeds. The plans changed slightly. Now I was drawing this stage of the plant and maybe I could track down some of the flowers elsewhere.

First- get your season right!

I never did find the Virginia witch hazel flowers in bloom.  What I didn't realize was that I'd been looking in the wrong season. I had been so busy rushing ahead to paint in my sketchbook that I'd overlooked checking the plant's growing details first. I had assumed that, like all the other witch hazels, it was a spring bloomer.  No so. The east coast witch hazel blooms in the fall. At least all is not lost for another year. This fall I will be back at the nursery, timing it right hopefully, to catch the witch hazel in bloom.

Early blue violet, viola adunca.

Some native plants.

I couldn't send off the sketchbook without including some local native species. I've included what I consider a very under-appreciated little flower- the early blue violet, Viola adunca. It has been blooming in our front yard for nearly a month now, in spite of the snow. All the native violets are really important host plants for Fritillary butterflies and, even though it's too cold for any butterflies yet, I hope that they might use the leaves later.

Last but not least!

Inspired by  "Nature Trailer" Sarah Morrish's delicate studies of maple and oak seedlings I've included one little seed (called samara) of another native plant that I totally take for granted- the big leaf maple, Acer macrophyllum. There is a huge big leaf maple in our front yard and most years during spring I can be seen pulling up forests of its little seedlings. This year, thanks to Sarah's influence, I'll hesitate a little before pulling and even save a few.

Aislinn Adams

I've never written a blog before but there's a first time for everything, right?

I've been learning botanical illustration for about three or more years now.  It's been a dream of mine since I learned to love nature as a child living with my father in the city.  Dad taught me all about nature and every Saturday we would take the bus to the park in the very early morning and go for walks.  He would make a list of birds and I would make a list of flowers and plants.  I learned to be very quiet on these walks.  By not disturbing the natural world around us, we were given quite a show on those Saturday mornings.

So about three years ago (after my children left home and life calmed down a bit), I decided it was time to live my dream.  I already had many, many books.  I love to learn of the explorers and the master botanical artists.  So I dove in with absolutely no knowledge of how to properly draw a plant or how to use watercolors.  Quite a struggle with no formal art training. It's been frustrating but more so, it's been a wonderful journey and I've taken so much joy in seeing myself improve little by little.  And the internet is a wonderful thing.  I've met so many artists.  Some with a talent that just takes my breath away.  Most of them, although in their own league of exceptional artwork,  accepted me with open arms.  All of them sharing their knowledge, their beautiful work and most important to me, their friendship. 

This year, I was asked to be a part of this wonderful sketchbook project.  I was overwhelmed by that gesture.  I felt so honored to be asked to be part of this group of amazing and talented people.  But also, I was so concerned that my work might not be able to stand along side the others.  And to think that I might ruin someone's book!  Very intimindating for sure.  But also, how wonderful would it be to "hang out" with these guys for over a year working on our sketchbooks?  And, in the end, I will have a priceless collection of works  all in one little book, from people who I truly admire and call my friends.

So my sketchbook pages are completed and on their way to the next artist.  Since it is winter here and I've been dreaming of flowers, I decided to put those in my sketchbook.  I had some complex, complicated ideas, but I decided to keep it simple.  This worked well for me as I am a slow painter and it allowed me to just relax and enjoy the process.

Tulip and Crocus with watercolor

"To see the world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wildflower" William Blake

The title page