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| Blechnum gibbum studies © Shevaun Doherty |
“Love the process and the painting will happen”
A friend once remarked that being a botanical artist is as
much about loving the artistic process as it is about the painting.
It’s true.
I get a huge amount of pleasure out of creating study sheets and colour charts, chasing a leaf or flower across a sketchbook page, each time tweaking the
colour mixes until it’s just right.
Although there is an element of play in this, the notes that
I make are also extremely useful. I’m constantly pulling out old sketchbook
studies to find out what colour mixes I used to get a particular shade of
green, or how to achieve a particular texture.
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| Limonium sinuatum colour notes |
Sketchbooks and study notes help me explain my process to other artists, particularly those who are just
starting their own botanical art journey. I think it’s a bit of a relief for
them to see the messy bits and the occasional crises of confidence (help! I’ve
forgotten how to paint) !
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| It doesn't always work out, but making mistakes is part of the process |
Very often our focus is on the destination and not on the
journey, and that can lead to a creative block. It’s important to stop worrying
about the finished painting, that ominous blank sheet of paper, and just enjoy
the creative process that is needed to get us to that point.
It’s only paper after all.
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| Phoenix dactylifera leaf studies... a case of trial and error! |
Here are 6 steps to my artistic process-
