A simple example of how I create a new design for license. This is my recent illustration of some farm fresh sunflowers.
This summer cottage was painted years ago. I layered the sunflower stilllife onto this summer landscape. Nothing beats the joy of working with real paints, but photoshop can help me tell a better story...check out my New Sunflower Greetings.
I usually have a bunch of canvas that's been prep with different colors.
Much easier to start something when I'm not starring at a white canvas.
Pink Roses are from last month, Lavender Iris just bloom this week, just in time to complete this composition.
Nestle among the Litchfield Hills, CT, White Flower Farm is the top destination for gardeners. This glorious garden center has been making life bloom beautifully for more than half a century.
For this sketch by the water, my quest for color is the starting point. I'm trying to convey a cloudy & humid summer day with purple & aqua. The fact that this was done in a sketchbook, means I can be loose & not fuzz with the painting. Sometimes we learn more by not getting attach to our work.
When I'm on the road, these tiny 2.5x3.75 Fabriano watercolor paper always travel with me. It comes in a box, just perfect for a quick study.
For a quick sketch, choose a scene with just a few simple shapes. That way, you can limit your color palette. For this sketch, I use soft blue for sky, the white of the clouds is from the paper.
A wash of Oxide Green was use to convey the shape of the meadow & trees in the distance. Naples Yellow to highlight the honeysuckle in the foreground. A thin wash of Ultra violet for the water. By mixing my existing green & purple, it gives me a deep green for the shadows. 
Charcoal pencil to define the fence.
An oil turpentine wash dries instantly on paper. I love to use pastel over oil on the paper. |
| texture of this paper works well with this landscape sketch |
