Do you ever head to your local nursery to ogle the plants and drink in the amazing colors and textures, or is it just me? I love to check out the plants and stop to smell the roses when I visit nurseries and gardens. I find such places very inspiring artistically.
So, when I visited a nursery a few weeks ago, I took along some basic art supplies and made myself at home. Not only did I take my iPhone to snap photos, I brought some sketching supplies: my art journal, micron pens, and watercolor pencils. I passed on using water on site, and opted to blend the colors at home later in the day.
There I was, plunked down next to some potted protea plants. I was out of the walkway, so I took the liberty of spreading out my colored pencils for easier color selection. I loved the colors and texture in the protea plant, and took some time to both sketch and color.
I’m definitely not a natural when it comes to sketching and drawing, but I really enjoyed playing. Sketching requires slowing down. Really looking. Being in the moment. And since all those requirements are positive, I consider the process a success and a worthwhile way to spend my time, regardless of how the resulting image turns out. In this case, I think it turned out well.
After I blended the color at home with water and a brush I added a bit of silver metallic ink (gel pen) to really emphasize the silver/gray coloration near the tip of the protea bud.
Folks can be curious when they see something out of the ordinary, like someone sitting on the ground sketching a protea plant, but I don’t let that stop me. So what if I look silly or get dirty? I’m not shy when it comes to creating and going after what I want, and I hope you aren’t either. If you love plants and nature as much as I do, I encourage you to get out there, get dirty, and enjoy the process! Whether you’re sketching or taking photos, taking time to create out in nature is always worthwhile…
Warm regards,
Melody
