Tag: spring flowers

Yes, It Is Still Spring . . . .

The solstice is not yet here, so it is still technically Spring! I thought this was an important fact since I am showing off the hyacinth study from Shari Blaukopf’s online course of flowers in the spring. I already did the crocus – the flower I have never seen – and today I present you with the second study, hyacinths.

Whether or not these really look like hyacinths may be up to you. Shari is not a botanical watercolorist, and neither am I. I really like the intensity of her colors and the way she handles paint and subject matter. Add to that, she is a really good teacher and I have enjoyed all her online courses.

Overall, I am pleased with this study, but I will say the bottom, in the pot and the dirt, I need to fix that, but will later. Time to have a snack and kick back after this. I was focused and now I need to unfocus.

Watercolor, about 9×12.

Lilacs

Negative painting? Check.

Loose style? Check.

Masses of color to create suggestions of shapes? Check.

I am pleased with this painting – there are areas which could be better, but is any painting actually “perfect”? Certainly not in watercolor!

Lilacs are one of my favorite spring flowers. Their fragrance is heavenly and a welcome sight as winter fades away. Sadly, it seems hybridizing them for a coastal SoCal climate is not successful.

I drew the flower masses in pencil, creating general shapes. A few pointy leaf shapes. A glass vase. Dropped petals. From there, the rest happened with lighter washes of color, white areas left behind, and eventual deepening shades of lavender, purple, and pink. Some blue, too. It sort of happened all over rather than section by section.

And then my next painting was a complete disaster!!

Spring Bulbs on Paper

Winter is leaving and the bulbs are emerging.  In my own yard, freesias are in bloom, their sweet scent greeting me as I come and go from the house.  Other bulbs are found in the stores, as cut flowers or in pots.  Daffodils and tulips are the most common.  Hyacinths are rare.  Where I live, there is never snow on the ground, and if we are lucky, we get rain and a cold wind.  Having grown up in the middle of blizzard country, I miss the bulbs – but I don’t miss the weather!  So, here are some paintings of daffo-down-dillies and one of some tulips.  None are great, but all were fun to do!