A delicate and small flower will only be noticed if it makes a big appearance. This clematis flower does this by shining with vibrant pinks.
This artwork is a unique step away from my traditional watercolour work and towards a new and upcoming media form: coloured pencils. Coloured pencils have been used for centuries, but it has only be in the recent years that they have been so much more widely accepted in art galleries and as a professional art medium. With excellent lightfastness and an ability to get incredibly small details accurately rendered, coloured pencils make an excellent media for artists.
After fighting with my hot and dry environment, I finally got a chance to experiment with different artistic mediums.
I started by working on the flower. Since this is my focal point in this artwork I wanted to make sure that I spent the time perfecting the flower.
I did two major layers on the Clematis flower. Each major layer, as I have termed it, was finished with a layer of Turpentine as a blender. Between each major layer was a number of thin layers of pencil, each building up colors, tone and shape.
I did the same major and minor layers of coloured pencils on the background as well. I learnt in this project that it’s better to start building the forms of the subject from the beginning by applying the ideal colours straight away. I found that by layering a pure yellow down initially, as I would with a watercolour wash, didn’t allow as nice of a blending of darker layers on top quite as well.
Don’t forget to check out the finished Clematis Flower in my Portfolio.