The Artistic Process

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.

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) !

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.

Phoenix dactylifera leaf studies... a case of trial and error!

Here are 6 steps to my artistic process-

Research: 

I like to ‘bond’ with my subjects, and so usually start with a bit of online research. The Latin name is a great starting point as it often gives a clue as to where and how the plant grows, or it’s ethnobotanical story. I usually look up the botanical description of the plant too, and will make notes on the defining characteristics of the plant, so that I can depict them in the painting.

Hey Mambo!

Sometimes there is not much written about a plant, like the Mambo lily I painted last year. Instead I put on some mambo music and read about the cha-cha-cha, which I like to think bestowed a bit of “Viva la vida" vibrancy to my painting.

Daffodil studies

Sometimes what I discover is fascinating, and makes me view the plant with renewed wonder and respect.

Colour matching: 

Even though I pride myself on knowing my pigments, I always make little colour charts so that I can see at a glance the difference between the hues. There can be a marked difference between paint brands- Raw Umber springs to mind as there is a huge difference between the W&N one and the Daniel Smith one, and both are great. Pans and tubes of the same colour can also yield surprising differences.

What colours are these dates?

Colour chart made, it’s time to compare it to the actual subject and to choose the possible colours. Greens always have to be mixed, so I usually write out the possible colour combinations and do another colour chart to decide which one would work best.

Studies: 

Preparatory studies really help me understand my plant. It can be daunting starting a large piece, so I often begin by painting a leaf, or pulling a flower into pieces and concentrating on smaller parts. This helps me focus on the colours, patterns and size. There’s a great satisfaction in filling a page with lots of little studies. Some of them go horribly wrong, but when there are lots of them, you don’t really see the mistakes. By the time you have filled the page, you know how to paint that leaf or flower!

Colour notes:

This is the part that a lot of people skip. Admittedly I don’t make a colour chart for every painting that I do, but I’ll nearly always jot down the colour palette and the order in which they were used on a scrap of paper. This blog has been great for making me keep notes on what pigments I have used. As well as being extremely useful, a row of colour notes can really dress up a scruffy study page.

Neat or scruffy, keeping notes is very useful

Sketches and Thumbnails: 

Thumbnails and quick scribbles are the best way to decide a complex composition. Sometimes it’s a case of a biro on the back of an envelope, but I mainly use tracing paper to draw it all out. My sketches are always very messy, but they are a great way to loosen up before the real painting begins.

 Big paintings can take a lot of pre-scribbles. My agapanthus painting took a whole pad (20 sheets) of A3 tracing paper before I was happy, but it was worth it.

Painting:

Whilst each painting is different, they always begin the same way, with a tidy studio. 

Before painting

It will be very messy by the time that I have finished, but I need to be organized to start. A scented candle, a cup of tea and a good audiobook help set the mood. Audiobooks are great because I will often keep painting just to keep listening to the story!

The creative process can be messy!

Each artist has their own creative process. What suits some, might feel tedious and unnecessary to others. It’s important to find a way of working that feels comfortable to you. 

"The creative process is not like a situation where you get struck by a single lightning bolt. You have ongoing discoveries, and there are ongoing creative revelations. 

Yes, it's really helpful to be marching toward a specific destination, but, along the way, you must allow yourself room for your ideas to blossom, take root, and grow."

Carlton Cuse