A Garden Sketch

Yesterday, at lunch, the Spring Island Landscape Ecologist, whom I share office space with, asked me if I'd like to see one of our resident's garden.... I grabbed my sketch bag before he even finished his sentence :) 

We were only there for 30 minutes,  20 of which I painted like a mad woman :)  Once back at the office, I added the lettering and little Otto.

I hope to return back to this garden in a few weeks.  Autumn is a splendid time for blooming wildflowers and Ann's garden is loaded with native wildflowers.  She has one small butterfly garden area that contains some non-natives... thus the Mexican Cosmos.. but otherwise it's filled with wonderful grasses and every type of wildflower you can imagine.

This is one of the gardens that Spring Island's Native Plant Project features for garden club tours. 

Our next Native Plant Sale is October 20th.  If you are in the lowcountry area of South Carolina, do stop by.  The island is open to the public that day!

Sparkleberry in Spring

 Yes, just because a sketch is made in the spring doesn't mean the page gets finished then :)  I got caught up in some research about May Day.

There was a lot of room left on the paper when I finished my plein air pen and watercolor sketch. And, since it was May Day and the sketch of Sparlkeberry... Well you know, just that tree's name on my tongue makes calligraphic notes sing in my head! I decided to settle into a more controlled environment to finish the dressing on this May Day page.

A tissue paper overlay is a great way to experiment with the placement of other elements you want to add to your page. It keeps the paper from being compromised from too much erasing.

The trick is matching the same placement that you like on the overlay. There are transfer papers you can use, or you can flip over the overlay and trace what's on the front side using a very soft pencil. Once finished, flip it back to the original side,lay it over your journal page and retrace your original lines with a sharp pencil. Lift the overlay tissue off of your journal page and your lettering will/should be on the paper beneath.


But, I know from experience that I lose total spontaneity when I use these methods. My lines become stiff as I get caught up in left brain control. I honor my free flowing plein air sketch too much to let that happen. I want all the elements to compliment that freedom. So I guess-ti-mate :)

My version of cooking without a recipe :)

Click on images to enlarge :)