Summer Observations

August is a nice time to check in on the various shrubs and vines in the area. You often can find a few blossoms, early berries, and even beautiful, juicy ripe berries all on one plant! I noticed a set of deep pink honeysuckle flowers as well as a few of their bright red berries intertwined with the ubiquitous (and invasive - but still delicious!) Himalayan blackberries.

I did loose, light pencil sketches, then added watercolor on site - but when I returned to the studio, I thought a little ink would be appropriate. Well - I managed to get too outline-y and flattened everything out. Grrr… So I threw in a few random marks in an attempt to loosen the sketches up and scanned them. Every sketch is a chance to learn something! One of the things I learned from these two sketches is ….. It’s probably not a good idea to work on things like this while on hold on the phone! :-)