Progress Shot Part 2 - Refine the Drawing and Begin Adding the Detail

The painting is going through several subtle changes as I continue to study the flowers and it's leaves. One can see the unique evolution, specifically the wing-like thingees, the bleeding heart flowers (the pink flowers) goes though as they blossom.

Click on photo to enlarge.

A lot of calculation were made to create a properly scaled digital tablet. I am surprised how close to square it is.

Click on the photo to enlarge.

.

To my good fortune, I have a few bleeding heart flowers growing in my yard. I plucked and studied a stem of leaves and discovered how poorly I interpreted my photo reference. I don't have access to any poppy flowers, but I can tell you that I discovered big differences in leaf type between the different poppy species. 

In Progress - Blocking in the color

Prepping for new works

In effort to participate in a group show in at the Philadelphia Sketch Club in celebration of The Philadelphia Flower show, I began these chalk studies of liles and cyclamen. I had high hopes for doing these in oil, but the deadline is too soon. So, watercolor it will be.

An Afternoon at Longwood Garden

Last Monday, I spent a beautiful afternoon at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA. With the sketch book in hand, I went ready to draw.

So, I go to a famous garden with thousands of flowers in bloom

during the wintry month of January and I first draw pipes of the pipe organ.

But, they were just so cool!

A sketch of a pathway in one of the large indoor gardens in the conservatory.

This Black and White drawing does not do justice to the beautifully colored orchids.

I tried my best to find orchids I would not typically find at a Home Depot.

It wasn't easy to find truly unique orchids.

After I got back to the studio, I could not stop thinking about

the uniquely shaped orchid and it's rich burgundy color.

So, I did this watercolor sketch with the faith that my memory

of the color is close.