Thursday 10 December 2015

Seed pod study

'Seed Pods' etching 1987
Many (almost 30!) years ago  - I did a copper etching of some seed pods. It was etched in a very gentle Dutch Mordant, which allows exquisite detail. It's one of my favourite etchings.

Yesterday one of my students gave me a branch full of these seed pods. I am still fascinated by these complex though rather dull and ugly subjects.








I decided to do a life-sized study in a gorgeous leather-bound book I keep specially for studio work. It's lovely Italian paper that is great for pen and careful watercolour rather than large washes - perfect for botanicals.






Starting with a very light pencil line to get the proportions correct, I then switched to my Sailor 1911 - a lovely pen for super fine detail - and drew the whole plant.

I then used watercolour to finish it off.

4 comments:

  1. Very beautiful Jane, both the old and the new. I love how you've placed the new one on the page too.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Shari. I try to draw the studies in this book life size so they are an accurate depiction of the plant.

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  2. So beautiful and delicate! The print is truly inspiring.

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