Week 17: Silke, MP & Jean

 A posy of spring flowers!

Silke

Spring brings back memories of her parents garden back in Germany, so Silke has drawn 4 little vignettes illustrating the flowers she remembers. Created in her Stilman + .Bern sketch book with a variety of colour pencils this is a delightful selection of images. I like the way some parts of the flowers break out of the frame creating a new dimension. I love and use that technique a lot myself.  The page composition is well balanced with both shape and colour selection. The unique way Silke has named each flower in both the common English and German names personalises the work. All the elements combine aesthetically in a way that is very attractive.

'Four Spring Stories' by Silke

MP

MP has drawn one of my all time favourite spring flowers; the freesia. Working on Canson 300gsm HP paper she began with a light under drawing in 2H graphite to define the forms. Next Prismacolour watercolour pencils were used to create wash build up of colour followed by various shades of Prismacolour Premier pencils as dry over drawing for detail and precision.

This is a very lovely drawing MP and I hope you consider framing it. You tell me it was tricky, but you have mastered it well, carefully observing the shapes of each petal and the overall configuration of each blossom. You haven't succumbed to outlining and then filling in bits, but worked the colour all over and in from from the edges avoiding hard edges. As well, you have looked for hues in your palette to mix and blend to create the final tints, resulting in deep, rich and believable colours.

An excellent drawing with a well handled technique.

'Freesias' by MP

Jean

A sure sign of spring is the early Prunus blossoms flowering everywhere, and that is Jean's subject this week. Jean has used Derwent Inktense pencils/wash on Fabriano HO 300gsm to create this gem of a drawing. Jean was wondering if she should have done 'more' to it, and I say, no, it is perfect as it is. Inktense can be tricky to work with, once that colour is wetted it is there forever. It can be easy to be tempted to add more layers and consequenty overwork the drawing, but Jean has held off at just the right point. The way she has just brushed the colour with water on the branches allowing it to flow and create a suggestion of form is wonderful. This drawing has a freshness and freedom to it that announces Spring.  Very well done Jean! Another framable work.

'Flowering Prunus' by Jean