Spring 01: 08/04/2023

This week I completed the prep for Sellisternian's spring themed trio. You can catch up on last week's work here, the overall idea for Sellisternian here and my practice for this process here.

The final season! And as we move in to spring outside, very nice. This trio is about bright foliage, overgrowth, flowers and rain. So, so much rain. Sooooo much rain. I haven't had much time to paint florals since I did the summer trio so I'm looking forward to that particularly. But first, big ink sketch time with a moment of applause because I remembered all the progress photos this time please and thank you.

Even after Sellisternian I fancy doing more big ink paintings, maybe as more detailed final pieces. All that black ink is just so satisfying. I'm especially glad I did this stage in regards to the third piece because those proportions went pretty wild but not in the specific way I'm after. That can be fixed in the digital stage, ready for the final.

Here's the final layout for the trio. There is going to be so much green, my favourite colour to mix in watercolour and one that I haven't had much chance to use in Sellisternian so far. I want to make an impression of abundance, life and new overgrowth and these compositions give me plenty opportunity for that.

In contrast these landscapes feel very wintery with a low late afternoon light. I did an underpainting in a very muted pastel pink and it's interesting how it calms the rest of the painting. I did have to cheer it up with some wax pastel details and I especially like the scratchy blue grasses popping up on the first one.

In Doodlebook you may see I was thinking about the dark shapes under the trees in these landscapes and the contours of the fields over gentle Border hills. I've been observing the bare winter landscape around here as best I can before they begin to change over spring. I hope to do a lot of landscape painting in summer so I'm taking visual notes franticly.

On that subject, this is my favourite of the Book Of The... series. Trees! This book was one of the inspirations to finally give landscape painting a go so I thought it was time for a reread. So many gorgeous examples across different eras and mediums and I have a whole new appreciation for them now that I'm giving it a go myself.

It was my mum's birthday this week so here's a look at a gift I made for her. It's an old photo frame gessoed, painted, spray painted and collaged in to something new, take a peek!

Well I'm all prepared and ready to start our final Sellisternian trio, Spring! If that update is already up I'll link it below, otherwise thanks for reading this early and have a grand week.