Activity

i started this a few days ago and by the time I went to paint the leaves they had changed so much1 I decided to start again and draw two leaves and just keep the rest as background.

Gorgeous! It looks like you could pick the ginkgo leaf up off the page! As I mentioned on the previous post, the cast shadows are too dark. Besides their shapes not being what I would expect. Personally I don’t know that you need cast shadows for this drawing. Because the shadows are dark, they create a lot of contrast and detract from the b…[Read more]

Thank you, Doug. I always appreciate your thoughtful and helpful comments. Yes, I do often work at a desk with two lights right over my work because the room doesn’t get enough good light. Shading and cast shadows continue to be a challenge in all of my work. I appreciate you pointing it out.

These were treasures from a walk last week. The horse chestnut surprised me with a design in the white part. Capturing its shape and color continues to be challenging.

I love the colors and composition of this page! The one thing that throws me is the conflicting shadows. Some go to the left and some to the right and the chestnut goes down. The cast shadows of the chestnut, two leaves on the right and cherry are also too dark. Lightening the cast shadows would help this drawing and making them consistent would…[Read more]

Beautiful leaves Denise! I see that the bottom leaf has a bright highlight to indicate a shiny leaf, which is how I think of holly leaves. If the leaves are shiny, you might want to make the highlights whiter.

I’m sad to see the flowers going, but fall leaves are so inviting. The one on the right is not yet done. I’m trying to layer the colors slowly to get better shading.

I have just returned from a drawing retreat with Giacomina Ferrillo. I learned so much and this is the passion fruit I chose for my final project. I had fractured a bone in my dominant hand the week before leaving and so worked very slowly and with a little less control than I’m used to. The drawing is unfinished, but without the actual fruit on…[Read more]

The first day home from my trip I harvested the last of the cherry tomatoes in my garden. They were so sweet and beautiful!

I was away from home caring for a parent, and drawing this tomato is what kept me (kind of) sane. I only had my colored pencils with me, so this is colored pencil only. The meditative aspect of the slow careful toning with my colored pencils at the end of the day really helped my frame of mind. There is just something about connecting with a…[Read more]