PINE TREE STUDIES

It's been far too long since I posted here as I've been concentrating more on textile art but I thought a catch up from my trees sketchbook might be interesting.  This is a drawing of a part of the bark from my pine tree, done while sitting next to the tree last autumn. 

I had also made a rubbing to try and understand the structure.

Then I made a hand stitched appliqued piece using odd scraps of fabric and yarns, which is now stuck into the book opposite a sketch of the needles.

SKETCHING TREES

I've just started a new project to draw the trees in my garden, starting with my silver birches.

One morning this week the sun was shining through the raindrops on the delicately hanging twigs in the front garden, making them look like fairy lights

.I crumpled some pastel paper and used Derwent drawing pencils to make the sketch then added the raindrops with a watersoluble pencil dipped in water.

The bark of these beautiful trees is full of unexpected colour and I really enjoyed drawing this using some Graphitint pencils that I had forgotten about for years.

LAST MUSHROOM

 

The last mushroom drawing is another from Belarus, a strange pair with speckled stems and orange caps.  I used Fabriano pastel paper in a soft yellow and Derwent drawing pencils that have lovely creamy leads in earthy shades with some greens and greys. 

 

 

Here is the final collage put together on a piece of pale green paper and framed in forest green wood.

You can see more mushrooms on the blog:  http://valeriejaneg.blogspot.fr

 

Shaggy Ink Caps

 

I found this little group rather close to the road so I had to take them home to stop them being crushed by cars or people walking by.  Of course they were drawn within minutes of getting home!  The tall one is nearly a foot tall and the ink was dripping all the time I carried them and as I drew.   I'm addicted to drawing on this tinted paper, isn't it strange you can have something in store for years then all of a sudden you find a use for it!

Early mushrooms

 

 

 

Summer has turned into autumn quite quickly here in north Brittany with misty mornings and plenty of mushrooms putting their heads above the grass. It's such a pleasure to stroll down our lane with the lovely fragrances of leaves and earth and to see the spiders busy with their webs and the trees laden with chestnuts and acorns ready to drop.  These beautiful parasol mushrooms were on top of the bank opposite our house and I couldn't resist bringing them in to draw!

 

Unknown butterfly

 

We found this pretty butterfly under a chest of drawers when we were cleaning today.  I can't find it in my field guide so I wonder if anybody out there knows what the species is?  I live in northern France so that may make a difference.