Sitting at the balcony, looks like it’s about to rain.
….and it actually does a few minutes later.
Starting to make some arrangements with leaves that I gathered earlier during a walk. One of my favorite things to do is collect various bits from the streets, usually natural specimens and then arrange them in a pleasing way. Somehow, this activity seems like it brings order and beauty when it’s most needed.
From the garden: dried gloriosa bloom, almost dried hibiscus bloom, coleus.
Watercolor pencils out of their box:
Starting to sketch and then add water with a paintbrush.
I don’t have a clue what I am doing, just experimenting. All I know is that it feels great playing with colors, pencils and brushes. By sketching, I study their forms closer, which helps me understand them better.
Time for another arrangement:
Found shell and pebbles
Sketching and adding color:
Then I wanted to see how it looks if I added a border with the sewing machine:
Do you prefer the first type of stitching which is more random or the second one which is straight?
Now if you want to see some seriously great, “real” watercolor paintings, visit the website of Heather Smith Jones or her blog, Anika’s blog and Geninne’s blog. Their work really stands out!
Also, check out the Collecting Nature Flickr Pool, maintained by Jan of Poppytalk, for some inspiring collections of natural specimens.