Quercus michauxii, Swamp Chestnut Oak

Quercus michauxii, Swamp Chestnut Oak
Watercolor on Paper

This year the Swamp Chestnut Oak beside our driveway released a hundreds of acrons. The acorns are 1⁄2 - 1 1⁄4 inches (13 - 32 mm) and one needs to be careful not to get one underfoot!

Linda C. Miller

Artist, Instruction, Naturalist

Williamsburg, Virginia

Diospyros Virginiana, Persimmon by Linda C. Miller

Diospyros Virginiana

Acrylic and Watercolor

2014

What a joy when you have a stash of Persimmon fruits in the studio! 

FALL LEAVES by Linda C. Miller

Clockwise

  Liriodendron tulipifera, Liquidambar styraciflua, Nyssa sylvatica and Cornus florida

I just love this time of year!  

Here are my new works painted in watercolor.  The leaves were traced but the dogwood or Cornus florida, was drawn from life.  I now tape my specimens to a white foam core board.  This helps with seeing the positive and negative shapes and with a little bit of tape you can create a pleasing composition too!

http://www.lindamillerbotanicalart.com
botanicalarttoday@yahoo.com

Magnolia Seed Pod by Linda C. Miller

I have been painting flora since 2008 and here is a new painting from one of our Fall treasures, the Magnolia grandiflora.  The red seeds are so striking and hang by a thin white thread!  I sat with my pod for the last two days while giving an art demonstration in Yorktown, Virginia.  It was such a joy to paint, especially as I added my darkest value on the seeds, any dried purple on my palette! 

  

  Happy Painting, Linda

  Linda C. Miller Artist Naturalist Instructor
  http://www.lindamillerbotanicalart.com
  http://thebotancialblogger.blogspot.com/

 

Punica granatum by Linda C Miller

 "Pick up Sticks"

Punica granatum

Watercolor on Paper, 6 x 4 inches

Copyright Linda C. Miller 2014

This piece is called "Pick up Sticks,"  a painting created with two over-lapping branches.  I used 140lb hot press Fabriano traditional white paper.  One of the advantages of using the 140lb paper versus a 300lb weight is that I can manipulate the layers more easily.  I lifted and added color, four times to get this textured effect on the pomegranate fruits.  What is very important is that you allow the paper to dry, completely, before you go back in to manipulate the layered color.

It did dull down a bit because all three primaries are in the element.  So to give it a color lift, I added both Quinacridone gold and red along the way. 

 

Happy Painting, Linda

Linda C. Miller Artist Naturalist Instructor
Please visit my blog to see more techniques
http://thebotancialblogger.blogspot.com/

Song Sparrow by Linda C. Miller

In addition to painting botanicals, I also paint our feathered friends. Here is a watercolor of an immature Song Sparrow.  The grey was made with Burnt Sienna and French Ultramarine. The browns and pinks were made with Cobalt Blue, Lemon Yellow and Permanent Rose, my favorite "go to" primary mixing group.  I used a Winsor Newton No. 2 Round Series 7 brush and a 00 Winsor Newton III round brush.  

Note the dried paint in my palette bins.
This is where I pick up my color!

My Technique for Creating Fine Lines

The most important thing is that your paper is dry, bone dry.  Then using a round brush ranging from a No. 1 to a 00, place your brush in your water container, then tap your brush once on a soaking wet cellulose sponge (not a natural sponge). Next (very important too) pick up your DRY paint and paint your line.  This technique takes out the excess water in the brush and ensures that your brush is filled with "loaded" pigment.

Painted on 90lb Cold Press Paper

Happy New Year and Happy Painting, Linda

Linda C. Miller Artist Naturalist Instructor
Visit my blog to see more techniques
http://thebotancialblogger.blogspot.com/

Elderberry by Linda C. Miller

Early last year, I was at my local library installing the HRC Virginia Master Naturalist's Annual Photo Exhibition at the same time as Cheryl Bishop was putting together a small exhibition for the local Herb Society. Earlier that year I had give a talk to the group, invited by Cheryl. As we talked, they mentioned that the annual Mid-Atlantic Conference will be held in Williamsburg in 2013. Last year I volunteered to create a painting for their program and here it is. The painting will be entered in several exhibitions.

Elderberry
Watercolor on Paper, 22 x 29 inches

 

Linda C. Miller   Artist * Naturalist * Instructor

www.lindacmillerbotanicalarttoday.com

botanicalarttoday@yahoo.com

Lichen and Pin Oak Leaf by Linda C. Miller

Photo

In my studio, I have a basket lined in this beautiful linen fabric holding my fall nature finds.  I live in Williamsburg, Virginia where we are "leafless"  from late November to mid April.  So this basket provides much joy in our winter months.

 
Here is this year's painting of a fallen branch with several forms of lichen and a pin oak leaf.   The cool tan and dark black were both made by mixing cobalt blue, permanent rose and lemon yellow.  I am always amazed by the range of colors one can achieve when mixing the three primaries together.  I no longer use burnt umber and raw umber.  I added Quinacridone red to create the rolled edge.     

Happy Painting, Linda


Linda C. Miller
Artist  Naturalist Instructor

www.lindacmillerbotancialarttoday.com

Virginia Rail, Linda C Miller

Virginia Rail
Watercolor on HP 300 lb. Paper
15 inches wide by 9 inches high
Bodie Island Lighthouse

After class at The Elizabethan Gardens this past February, my husband and I went to one of my favorite birding sites - the Bodie Island Lighthouse. There they have a wonderful boardwalk that takes you up to a two story viewing platform. We came up on this bird who was "looking for supper." I was able to take at least twenty photos and then we walked on. Once home, we looked "him" up in my field guide. It is always a joy to add a new feathered friend to my list.

Happy Painting, Linda

Linda C. Miller

Artist, Naturalist, and Instructor

Williamsburg, Virginia

http://www.lindacmillerbotanicalarttoday.com/

Dried Pomegranate Fruits ~ Linda C. Miller

"Holding On"

Pomegranate Fruits

Transparent Watercolor on Hot Press Paper

Size:  22 x 30 inches

Specimen:  Williamsburg, Virginia

Copyright Linda C. Miller, 2011

Fall is my favorite season for its bounty is everywhere.  This pair of Pomegranates were so much fun to paint.  I just love this contemporary composition.  The fruits completed with a series of transparent washes and the branch using my dry brush technique.

I left out a few small branches to reduce overlap and allowing this pair to take center stage.  All the other pomegranates in my studio are singles and dried with their rich yellows, reds and oranges.  This pair turned a leathery brown in color and texture. 

It will be on exhibit this February, just awaiting word from The Virginia Watercolor Society to learn if this piece made the cut!



Happy Painting, Linda

Linda C. Miller

Artist ~ Naturalist~ Instructor

www.lindacmillerbotanicalarttoday.com

Botanical Art is now at the New Town Art Gallery in Williamsburg, Virginia

This October, I was asked if I would like to join the eleven artists who make up the New Town Art Gallery here in my hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.  Oh my, I was so thrilled and honored to join this group.

New Town is one of our new retail ~ residential developments and  the gallery is on Main Street, just down the street from Barnes and Noble and across the way from Opus 9.

I was at the gallery yesterday, we each work 4 to 5 days a month and  I was in heaven.  Wen Shu and I painted all afternoon.  What  a perfect place to be. I hope you will stop by if you come to town.

Another surprise.....

I have three works in the SMALL WORKS Exhibition at The Charles H. Taylor Arts Center in Hampton, Virginia where there are more than 500 pieces on display in a variety of media  ~ all no larger than 20 square inches.  This piece was awarded Third Place in Watercolor!

 

 

 

 

To learn more, please visit my site 

http://www.lindacmillerbotanicalarttoday.com

Smiles,  Linda

Linda C. Miller

Botanical Art Today

Artist ~ Naturalist ~ Instructor

Williamsburg, Virginia

PS ---- Thank you Cathy!

Pomegranate Fruit ~ Linda C. Miller

 I love Fall!  I am a fruit and seed pod passionEsta.  I love walking on the trail this time of year for everyone is bearing the "fruits of their labor".   Here is a pomegranate fruit, one of several that my husband brought home for me to paint.   At first the skin was a light pink and its skin was so smooth.  After three weeks, the fruits become this wonderful leathery beauty with rich oranges and scarlet red. 

Pomegranate Fruit

Watercolor on 300 lb HP Paper

Specimen:  Williamsburg

Size:  8 x 11 inches

copyright Linda C Miller, 2011

Happy Painting, Linda

Linda C. Miller Botanical Art Today

Williamsburg, Virginia

Artist ~ Naturalist~ Instructor

http:lindacmillerbotanicalarttoday.com

Fall Miniatures by Linda C Miller

Fall 2011 Miniatures Linda C Miller
Originally uploaded by Linda C. Miller

This is a bird's nest from my favorite walking trail -- a sketch in watercolor after making a detailed line drawing on transfer paper.  This is one of several works created for the upcoming SMALL WORKS by Hampton Artists Exhibition at The Charles H. Taylor Arts Center in Hampton, Virginia which opens next month.

Here are a few more from the studio........

Happy Painting,
Linda

Linda C. Miller
Artist ~ Naturalist ~ Instructor
Williamsburg, Virginia
www.lindacmillerbotanicalarttoday.com

millerlcmiller@yahoo.com

Tree from the Greensprings Trail by Linda C. Miller

Graphite Drawing
140lb Hot Press Arches Watercolor Paper
Copyright LC Miller, 2011


Here is one of my favorite trees on The Greensprings Trail, an outstanding Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail that I walk as often as I can.  I am beginning a study of trees for I have been commissioned to paint a landscape from the Colonial Parkway and its trees.   And the best way for me to get to know my subject matter is to sit and look, sit and draw, sit and look and sit and draw!  I just wish there were no tick or chiggers.  Those guys (can't be the girls) just love me.

Happy Sketching, Linda

Linda C. Miller  Williamsburg, Virginia

Artist, Naturalist and Instructor

Botanical Artist in Residence, The Elizabethan Gardens

Tulip Tree Buds and Seed Pod - Linda C. Miller

2009

Here is a painting that I "started" in 2009.  I was going through my work to select a few pieces to bring up to the gallery and recalled that the buds and leaves were just coming out. So on my next walk on the Greensprings Trail --- I stopped, studied and photographed the spring green buds and leafs. 

I always felt something was missing but didn't know what it was until I had my photos back in the studio. 

Tulip trees thrive here in Virginia and it is one of our tallest trees.  Their seed pods are a true reminder that this wonderful tree is a member of the magnolia family.  Their flower petals are spring green with a large bright, bright orange stripe in the center.  The flowers are often hard to see for they grow at the top of the branches, way up in the sky!  It is always a joy to find a fallen petal on the path---the orange is among the brightest of oranges in the flora world.

Tulip Tree Seed Pod and Buds

Liriodendron tulipifera

Watercolor on 300 lb HP paper

Specimen: Williamsburg

Size: 12inches high by 8inches wide

copyright Linda C. Miller, 2011

Happy Painting, Linda
 
Linda C. Miller
Williamsburg, Virginia
Artist in Residence, The Elizabethan Gardens
Artist, Naturalist and Instructor

Male Common Yellowthroat by Linda C. Miller

Male Common Yellowthroat

Watercolor on HP Paper

Image Size 12 inches high by 10 inches wide

Specimen photographed at Bodie Island Lighthouse

Copyright Linda C. Miller, 2011

Here is a painting of my favorite warbler taken at the Bodie Island Lighthouse last November. We were walking on the boardwalk when my husband spotted this little fellow. With my 300mm Nikon lense in hand, I took over 40 pictures while he bathed and fluttered among the reeds. I had done several studies that I  posted earlier and here is my first painting with others to follow! 

Also, I am studying with James Warwick Jones who is helping me so much with composition.  When we looked over this piece, he said that it reminded him of a painting by Durer called "A clump of grass", a painting that I have long admired as a naturalist and a botanical artist.  When we looked at the various matting/cropping options there was one that I had not considered and works so well for this piece.  This work will be matted leaving all of the "white space" (a bit more than this image shows).  

 
 
 
Thank you for stopping by, Linda
Linda C. Miller
Artist, Naturalist, Instructor
Williamsburg, Virginia
 
http:lindacmiller.blogspot.com

Painted Buckeye by Linda C. Miller

Here is a specimen that my husband brought home from the Golden Horseshoe Golf Course this past September. While at this year's "Art on Levingston Lane" art show here in Williamsburg, I had set up my drafting table and spent just over two hours drawing this interesting specimen.


With the specimen in the studio, I added washes and detail to tell its story. I am a botanical artist who will paint insect scars and decay as I see it; where as botanical illustration is a work where the artist depicts the specimen as a true specimen without the effects of nature, time and weather.

Aesculus sylvatica

Painted Buckeye

Watercolor on Paper

Specimen: Williamsburg, Virginia

Image Size: 8.5 inches high by 12.5 inches wide (partial view)

Happy walking in nature, Linda
Linda C. Miller
Artist, naturalist and instructor
Williamsburg, Virginia
 
http://lindacmiller.blogspot.com/

Immature Male Common Yellowthroat Studies - Linda C. Miller

copyright LC Miller, 2010




 Here are two drawings made from photos taken at the Bodie Lighthouse observation post.  This wonderful little guy stopped by to take a bath and with my camera in hand, we spent a good three minutes together.




copyright LC Miller, 2010

 

 I started using my new lead holders in 2H and HB for these drawings.  I then learned how to use the lead sharpener. Oh my, I don't think I can ever use an ordinary pencil or even a mechanical pencil again.  The lead point is so fine and allows one to draw such delicate lines!

Here is a link to The Pencil Lead Holder Museum! It showcases many different types and brands.  I use a Staedtler Mars technico lead holder that I purchased from Dick Blick as well as the Staedtler 502 lead sharpener.  The sharpener has two different points to choose from.  Also the NY Botanical Garden drawing course offers lead recommendations that are helpful too.

 http://www.leadholder.com/

Thank you for stopping by, Linda

Linda C. Miller
Artist, naturalist and instructor
Williamsburg, Virginia
www.lindacmiller.blogspot.com





Pink Spotted Hawk Moth, Linda C. Miller

Pink Spotted Hawk Moth, Linda C. Miller
Originally uploaded by Linda C. Miller

In September, one of my fellow Virginia Master Naturalists had my husband and I over for dinner. Just before we were seated on the patio, I noticed something "big" flying in front of their Moon flower. It was this amazing moth and its very, very long proboscis was having its dinner too!

Hawk and sphinx moths are known to get its nectar from flowers with very long calyxes and the Moon flower has just that. In honor of this moment and should this be the pollinator of the gardenia in my garden, I painted this amazing creature made from a series of field guide references.
 Pink Spotted Hawk Moth
Agrius cingulata
Watercolor on 300lb Hot Press paper
Size: 5.5 inches wide by 4 inches highCopyright Linda C. Miller, 2010

Have a great day in nature, Linda


Linda C. Miller
Artist, Naturalist and Instructor
Williamsburg, Virginia

Swamp Magnolia, Linda C. Miller

Swamp Magnolia, Linda C. Miller
Originally uploaded by Linda C. Miller


Here is a piece from The Williamsburg Botanical Garden. I just added the final touches and it will be on exhibit this January at This Century Art Gallery in Williamsburg.

What I love most about painting plant portraits is one-- I learn so much about each plant's morphology and two-- since picking this specimen - I have found five trees growing just off the marsh on the Greensprings Trail that I walk regularly. So its common name is perfect, for its native habitat is a wetland!


Swamp Magnolia
Magnolia virginiana

Watercolor on 300lb paper
Specimen: Williamsburg
Size: 13 inches by 13 inches, partial view
Copyright Linda C. Miller, 2010
Have a wonderful day, Linda
Naturalist, Artist, and Instructor
Williamsburg, Virginia