Tuesday 9 July 2013

Campanula : Garden Studies 2013

Campanula
Garden Study 2013

This year, Summer is wonderful and I am making the most of the sunshine by painting in my garden as often as possible. I keep a box with scraps of paper in it and grab a handful with a board, my brush sets and palette which can be easily carried. I only need two brushes for my floral work. My own size 10 Kolinsky sable for the main subject sections and my Kolinsky sable rigger for stems and adding last fine detail to my studies.

The point of my Kolinsky sable size ten is perfect for petal shapes and I can easily create a flower by moving the brush in a suitable angles. This is why I personally designed its' shape in the way that it is. The hair had to be the finest, soft sable that will curve easily for fluidity in results. For my Canterbury bells, above, I have been using a mixture of violet and turqouise shades.  My Kolinsky sable rigger is fantastic for working on stems and stamen. I simply slide my brush through pigment from my palette or already on paper making "lines" which act as the stems of my chosen flowers.

 Jean Haines personalised Kolinsky Brush sets available from

I love painting flowers in Summer.  I have several varieties of campanula growing in my garden. Some have tiny bells and are really delicate like in the study above. Others, as in the study below, have larger flower "bells" and look like a giant of the same plant. I have been so busy with exhibitions and art events this year that time now to simply enjoy painting, just for me is heaven! I have been excitedly working on my next book. The paintings  for the step by steps in it are so thrilling for me to work on that I can't wait for readers to see what I have shared this time. It is looking gorgeous so far.  But I still have a lot to write. My adventure in creating my next book is keeping me feeling very alive,young and happy!


Campanula, 
Garden Study II

Artists Tip For the day : Paint something from life as often as possible and really learn to see the colour that is missing so often when you work from photographs alone!

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