I’ve been playing around with painting textures and patterns on paper; then used them to make this cactus collage. The very bright green small cactus arm is one of those coffee cup cardboard holders; I used it to print the green zig-zags on the cactus arm behind it, then decided I quite liked it just as it was painted.
(© Catherine Cronin)
I’ve been a bit quiet on the blog lately due to preparing for two Christmas Fairs. I’ll be at the Horniman Museum this weekend, it looks like it will be a very merry affair and it is free, you can find all the details here: http://www.horniman.ac.uk/visit/events/horniman-christmas-fair
I’ve been playing with drawn collage which is a good way of finding out how to balance different elements of your picture. I think this collage of oak leaves and acorn could make for a bold linocut print, what do you think?
(© Catherine Cronin)
Another image made of my potted aloe plant (aloe variegata), this time using gouache paint.
(© Catherine Cronin)
I really enjoyed making this collage of my potted aloe plant (aloe variegata). Here you can see a watercolour I made of this plant last year – Succulent Splash. It has doubled in size since then.
(© Catherine Cronin)
I wanted to paint a lovely Japanese fern that I recently purchased; and it was serendipitous that I happened to place it in front of a Matisse foliage print. I rather like the way they echo each others shape; and the colours work together harmoniously.
(© Catherine Cronin)
I should’ve posted these pencil drawings up last Sunday, better late than never. I like the patterned background in the second sketch even though it takes the focus from the patterned leaves. I’d like to turn this into a linocut print, I can think of a few ways to keep the patterned background from dominating the succulent.
(© Catherine Cronin)
Two very different sketches of water lilies; one a pen sketch looking at form, structure and reflections; the other a quick study of colour in oil pastel and ink – which is a bit garish!
(© Catherine Cronin)
I love yellow flowers, and daffodils fit the bill. They come in fantastic zesty colours, and with their bold trumpets they are the perfect harbingers of Spring. Strangely I don’t like drawing the flowers as they are, when I draw their shape they seem too flouncy, not bold enough. In the below sketch I decided to square up my daffodil blooms to escape ‘flouncy’ and I much prefer them this way in 2d. Funny that!
(© Catherine Cronin)
Quick sketch of different flowers using a fountain pen. I was trying for simple flower motifs; but ended up drawing some in too much detail. I often draw in pen, as I tend to just go for it, knowing mistakes have to be adapted or worked in or just left alone. I am a more hesitant sketcher using pencil; if I end up erasing parts of an image, I will obsess about correcting it, and perhaps get stuck in that moment. I like seeing my mistakes and working on new images around them.
(© Catherine Cronin)
Cat Among the Pigeons Press 