Gum Blossom Step by Step

Well everyone I thought it was time that I added another step by step to this blog.... the principles are the same as the simple tulip but this step by step is a bit more involved. If you haven't done the tulip step by step I would recommend that you do that one first to get he techniques right. It also explains things in much more depth than I have done here.

You are very welcome to print these instructions and pictures out - they are not copywrite. I want you to enjoy the process and have fun.

This gorgeous gum tree is a few houses away from me and provides colour at this time of the year. I have a passion about gum trees and their blossoms and this particular tree has those great blue green leaves and burgundy stems, with pink blossoms - it blooms in September through til the end of November.

Gather your supplies - gm leaves and blossoms, pencils, eraser, 2B lead pencil for drawing, felt tip pen, tissues, number 4 round brush, water and a watercolour paper pad - I use a 300gsm so I don't have to stretch the paper (yes I am lazy).

The colours I have used are basic ones that I always seem to use, in order left to right:

• Derwent Deep Cadmium
  
• Derwent Deep Vermillion
• Faber Castell Light Carmine
• Faber Castell Burnt Carmine
• Derwent Grass Green
  
• Derwent Olive Green
• Faber Castell Chrome Green Opaque
  
• Derwent Prussian Blue

You may have to remove a few flowers and buds to make it easier to draw and paint.
Otherwise the design is too complex and with be confusing to look at.
We are aiming for balance.

Carefully draw the gum leaves and blossoms with the 2B lead pencil

With the Burnt Carmine start to draw in the laves, making the
pencil lines and shading heavier where needed.
Colour the cups of the blossoms,
add the stamens
and put in the unopened gumnuts

Add the Olive Green and leave large areas uncoloured
where the light hits the leaves.
Add the green to the nuts

Use Prussian Blue to deepen areas and add the 'blueness' to the leaves

Now add the Chrome Green Opaque
to add depth of colour to the leaves

Use the Light Carmine to colour in the blooms - making the colour
much darker where they come out of the gumnut
to very light near the edges

With the Deep Vermillion strenthen the colour

Use the Grass Green around the gumnuts and add the Deep Cadmium
around the gum blossoms in a circular motion.

With a wet brush (Round number 4) start to work the paint.
Leave the white areas and re wet and dab on a tissue frequently.
Don't over work the paint or it will become muddied.

Work carefully with the gum blossom, keeping the light areas light
Little circular motions are best.
Do the yellow areas last after the pinks have dried well

Once you have finished wetting the paint this is what it looks like.
You may need to deepen the darker areas - just wait until he paint is dry first.

Once the paint is dry outline the painting if you wish.
I use a permanent Statelier 0.6
If you are outlining the painting try to be a bit
'loose' when you do the blossoms as they look a bit
contrived if your pen work is too formal.

Sign your work and enjoy

Love
Carol

Wonderful Magnolias

Okay I know that many of us love these trees - in Canberra they are spectacular at this time of the year and I always think the flowers remind me of ballerina skirts for some reason.

So I was delighted to find that Jess (DD) is living in a house with a couple of these magnificent trees in her yard. I want to grow some at Scribbly Gums but I haven't planted any as yet, of course.

I think they might be a favourite to paint for the future they are so amazing, velvet leaves, wonderful colours, interesting bark, knobbly stems and fuzzy buds. Unfortunately they fade and go limp very quickly and I really only had just over 24 hours to paint these three. But I hope you'll agree they are just gorgeous!!


Thanks for looking at my paintings.... I hope you enjoyed them.

Please leave a comment so I know you have visited.

Lots of love
Carol

A few watercolours to share

A couple of weeks ago we went to the beautiful Narooma and like always, a few of the bits of native flora 'found their way into my pocket' as we walked around the beach and countryside.

The coastal banksias are always pretty magnificient and I had a great time drinking wine and painting a few of the native coastal banksias....


Here is the early wattle and a unusual seed cluster I have never seen before......


Aren't grevillias sensational. A little night snatch found this gorgeous specimen, the colours are honestly true to life, and I couldn't resist it. Phil tends to drink his beer while I go and pick a sample (or 6) after dark.... the joys and dangers of needing to paint from real life! I tell him it is all in the name of science - Phil smiles but I don't think I fool him! He is very patient with me!!

Thanks for looking...... I will be popping in soon with a step by step as the first one was so popular...... thanks for your support, it means so much!

Love
Carol

PS
For those I send Christmas cards to I have painted the flower for the front which I will get printed soon..... I cannot believe that these wonderful flowers grow in outside gardens - unreal!!!!! They certainly don't in cold Canberra!!

A few photos from Scribbly Gums

We popped into Scribbly Gums today to do some planting - we planed 10 medium sized trees - red flowering gums, and braclet murtels. Plus a few kangaroo paws, croweas, telopea (warratah) and a ground covering banksia.


It was great fun and nice to have soil that isn't like a rock to dig and plant into!! So after we did a bit of planting we stood back and admired our work.

My kangaroo paw garden - we have lots (and lots - understatement of the year) of wood lying around - so I thought I would make it a feature ..... the kangaroo paws had overgrown their pots so much I had to chop them into pieces - lets hope they make it!! I cannot remember the colour of their flowers at all - but if they are okay out there then I can see that this could become a definite passion (plus I actually like painting them too)

This is the road that goes up to our property gate. On the left all the way along this road is our place - the road is almost one kilometre long.

We are now deciding where to put the sheds so we can spend time out there..... looking forward to some weekends to really know the place. And we saw a scarlet robin today.... silver eyes, choughs and kookaburras. On the way home we think we saw a wallaroo - I took a photo but all you can see is a shape hopping away - so no photo to decide what it actually was.

The wombats have been very busy again and we are finding more burrows. Looks like a wombat paradise.

Cheers
Carol

Simple Tulip Step by Step Class

I have created a step by step class for you to create this tulip

You can find the step by step class at the left....... under classes in watercolours step by step
Please leave a comment if you would like more - or found it helpful....have fun

Carol

A few tulips - on a rainy afternoon

What a rainy day - so I painted a few tulips which are so lovely and bright at this time of the year!

These are almost fully blown - I love the looseness of the petals

The centres are so great - I really enjoyed working on this new paper
300gsm rough - it 'blooms' well

Have a great day

Love Carol

A few paintings....at last !!

Well It has been a while since I updated the site as I have been a bit inundated at work! We have gained new funding and I guess I didn't expect that they would all be approved but they were.....so ..... I am run off my feet!

Anyway enough of that here are some new paintings from our trip to Tilba and a few I have done in the last few days..... Please enjoy

This would have to be my favuorite painting for some time. This coastal bansia was growing near Mystery Bay looking out to see and although the flower was great - I really loved this banskia pod. It has such character. Not only that but it is painted on much smaller paper than usual - A5 size instead of A4 or A3. It was tricky to execute but I love the result.


I am pretty desperate to find flowers in my garden at the moment but this little Happy Wanderer (Hardenbergia) is now putting out its buds even though most other plants are sleeping as it is so cold. The purple is so vivid when it is out properly - but here we are only lucky enough to have buds.


The camilias in the winter garden are a bit weedy due to the drought and probably lack of food.....I took pity on them today and gave them a good dose of moo poo and water so hopefully they will feel a lot better soon. Phil also popped on wetting agent because the drought has made the garden water repellant - hopefully it will rain this week - we need lots!!

This little pink flowering gum is struggling in the front garden with the drought, but low down are a few new flowers ..... this is a bit more subtle in colours than the real colours of the flowers and leaves but I like the quiet feel to this painting.

A few flowers growing in my garden - everything is a bit straggly at the moment. But those jonquils give a real splash of much needed colour to the beds. I am not really a fan of yellow in my paintings as it does tend to look dirty when you shade it - but this has worked quite well I think.


This flowering gum was valiantly putting forth a few early flowers - it usually is covered in blossoms in October. There has been a lot of rain in Tilba over the last couple of months so everything was looking lush and green for our weekend away.



Finally the last painting from Tilba - it is really such a lovely spot.

Thanks for letting me share my paintings with you......

Lots of love
Carol