Exercise 5.1 Detailed study of plants.

Make one very detailed painting using watercolour, acrylic or oil paint of the plants or weeds in your garden or nearby environment. Use a surface between A5 and A3 in size and paint the surface with a mid-tone colour first.

In addition to your previous research, look at some of the following to inspire you for this exercise: Richard Wentworth, Mimei Thompson, Thomas Hall, Richard Dadd, Pre-Raphaelite detail of plants.

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I like drawing and painting the organic things in life. The lines with twists and turns, the energy within the natural world is exciting.

I took a few photographs on my camera of my garden. Texture, colour and organics in the beautiful natural world. The shadows and patterns within leaves and organic life was breathtaking.

I decided that the Japanese anemones were mesmerising, I liked the interesting shadows that criss crossed over the petals. The anemone's small bright yellow faces looking up at me with pure and almost startled central eyes.

The name of this flower comes from the Greek word anemōnē which means ‘the daughter of the wind’ which I also liked as I felt this describes me in my environment and being 'blown around the world'.

Materials

• High quality 300gsm watercolour paper.

• Watercolours with water sprayed and brushed onto the paper.

• Aquapasto medium

• Salt grains for a mottled base layer.

• Drawing or masking fluid.

• Watercolour pencils and various sable brushes.

• Black fine liner.

• Photocopy of Japanese anemones in black and white to assist with tone and value evaluation.

• Pencil and eraser.

Process Images.

I suppose, I wanted to channel the Paper Museum pieces here. I wanted to achieve a certain amount of realism but, blur and abstract the background so that the white faces of the anemones were shining out above the tangled flora. I wanted to connect to my environment and take care to connect with the subject. I looked closely at the small and subtle details.

I applied salt, over a burnt umber layer of fluid watercolour, created a diffused mid tone base layer. It had an organic feel which seemed perfect for a base effect.

I wanted a natural glow beneath the foliage, so I chose sunny yellow and burnt umbers.

Removing the salt crystals before, adding many layers of watercolour and after application, leaving the image to dry.

I added a pencil sketch to work over.

This was created over a few days. The final layers have aquapasto mixed with the watercolour as I wanted to see the effects it created.

Aquapasto is a watercolour painting medium that gives an impasto effect to watercolour. Aquapasto decreases the flow of paint and keeps the water from pooling on one area, unlike paint mixed with water alone.

The flower stems had a strong presence and feel and the aquapasto assisted me in achieving the effect I wanted to, as the paint did not blend so much.

The stains and sweeps of brush in the undergrowth were easily achieved, it was the detail that took quite some time.

Experimentation with watercolour, aquapasto, gouache and pencil studies in my sketchbook (and loose leaves of work) had assisted this process. Some of these pieces reminded me of Georgia O'Keeffe's work with flowers because they are close up views.

In the below image you can see the textured aquapasto and white gouache mix, swept across with a credit card. Maybe it was too harsh?

A1 Sketchbook pages.

The Daughters of the Wind.

Watercolour and aquapasto on watercolour paper 35cm x 56.5cm

When I look closely at my mark-making, I see a variation and some of the chaotic brush strokes in Thomas Hall's work. I have also used broad brushstrokes in the background (listening to my tutor's feedback) to create energy and a tangled, tousled feel. I have realism mixed with semi abstraction and depth. The focal flower head does seem to stand up and out as if reaching for the light.

I have created varied marks with rigger, fan, round and flat sable brushes. The Daughters of the Wind are entangled but basking in the sun. I am reasonably confident in a mix of contemporary and realism and, for me, a substantial piece in my development.

Through the 'weeds'/plant exercise, I had been messing around with paint in my sketchbook, just casually creating marks. I picked up an A4 black piece of pastel paper and used up some excess paint.

I had been looking at one of my weed images and decided to paint it quickly. I came back to it the next day and thought how wonderful it was. So I mounted it on a piece of canvas and then a bit of foam mount board.

I think the cream canvas surrounds and showcases the weed more than just a black border would.

Sometimes a piece quickly sketched without pre-planning as such is the result of practice.

Hello weed.

A4 Acrylic on black pastel paper and cream canvas.

I liked 'Hello weed' because it has a variation of brush pressure. It is simple but effective, and the colours are a strong palette that does represent the subject. However, it is not realism but rather a blurry, distressed representation of the weed. Nevertheless, the weed is appreciated and not just forgotten.

Using up excess paint on another occasion, I used a more energy fused style and just swept colour and dug marks into an old piece of a white laminated board. Again, I can see rhythm, texture and tangled undergrowth.

Weeds on a board

Acrylics on laminated board 20 ins x 10 ins.