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newby replied to Ruth's discussion 'July 2009 Botanical & Floral Project - Fruit' in the group Botanical & Floralon Friday

Hi All, this is one I have just finished, it is in coloured pencils size A4, photo from a Lee Hammond book, Apple and Pear is the title, hope you like it thank you for looking Pat

Ruth replied to Ruth's discussion 'July 2009 Botanical & Floral Project - Fruit' in the group Botanical & Floralon Thursday

Hi Ladybug and welcome to the group. Please feel free to have a go at any of the projects which take your fancy. Best wishes Ruth

A group by Ruth was featuredon Wednesday

Botanical & Floral

For anyone interested in Botanical and Floral subjects, including flowers, fruits, vegetable, fungi and gardens. All media welcome - so long as it's botanical or floral!

newby replied to Ruth's discussion 'July 2009 Botanical & Floral Project - Fruit' in the group Botanical & Floralon Wednesday

Hi Ladybug welcome to the Botanical and Flora group look forward to seeing your artwork on this months and next months project all the best Pat

Ladybug replied to Ruth's discussion 'July 2009 Botanical & Floral Project - Fruit' in the group Botanical & Floralon Wednesday

I am new to botanical but would love to join in. Thank you

Ladybug, Micki H. Thompson and 22 other members joined Ruth's groupon Wednesday

Botanical & Floral

For anyone interested in Botanical and Floral subjects, including flowers, fruits, vegetable, fungi and gardens. All media welcome - so long as it's botanical or floral!

Ruth added 3 discussions to the group Botanical & FloralJune 29

newby replied to Ruth's discussion 'June 2009 Botanical & Floral Project - Wild Flowers' in the group Botanical & FloralJune 24

Hi Maria, love the colours and the way you have depicted the flowers (honeysuckle) the open petals are a lovely pink and the buds are that orangy red this is a botanical illustration and the care to attention really shows well done I love it

Profile Information

City (no abbreviations please): England

What's your favorite media?: Pastels, Graphite, Watercolour and Coloured Pencils so far.

How long have you been drawing or painting?: More than 3 years

Tell us a bit about yourself:: I decided about 5 years ago that I wanted to paint watercolour landscapes. So I set about a course of self directed study. I attended a one day workshop of a using 3 watercolours and a pre drawn picture put colour A in box 1, then Colour B in shape 5 and 7 form. I suppose it got my brushes wet :-).

Then I went to a longer workshop, but there was hardly any tuition, just a bit on perspective and a bit on colour mixing. Then we were taken into the countyside and shown some pretty places to paint. So that was my formal watercolour tuition so a lot of book reading, and dvd watching followed.

I made a big leap forward when I found out in a book about colour mixing that said not all blues or yellows will make all greens. From here on I had two yellows(one orangey and one greeny), two blues (one more violet and one more green) and two reds (one more orange and one more violet) . A lot of painting colour charts followed, but things were so much easier.

Then two things happened I decided to have a go at pastels and I went on a life drawing course for a few days. The course was hard work and each evening I felt shattered, I would love to do more life drawing if I get the chance as so far I am not very good. The first few pastels weren't much good either.

Then a forum I was a member of held a comp to paint like the impressionists. So I had ballet dancers, haystacks, houses of parliament, waterlilies etc and pastels were ideally suited and I was hooked. I also worked a lot with fruit and veg (something I had not done when I started in watercolour). You can move them about, light them in different ways so they are great to practice with.

Then almost 2 years ago now Dianna Ponting came to the UK and I was lucky enough to attend one of her workshops. Well it was absolutely brilliant. It was lovely to have a chance to work with other artists in the room. To have a chance to see how others do things. To try out different materials and to see other artworks in the flesh so to speak. It was a real privilege to get tuition from such a wonderful artist.

I now work in graphite and coloured pencil as well. I have had my work turned down, as not good enough, by selection committees, but I have also sold some work and exhibited some work.

Also the subject matter has changed a lot and now includes along with the landscapes - animals, plants, still life, and transport.

I am a moderator on an art forum and until recently that was my art world as at the moment I cannot get out to a class or club.

I am working a lot with botanical subjects at the moment and am also reading to try to get a grasp of composition, which is still more by luck than judgement with me.

I am currently based in Norfolk, towards the top of the round bump that sticks out on the right side of the UK. I am hoping to move south of London again sometime soon as Norfolk is quite flat and although that gives big skies I miss the rolling hills.

To see more of my artwork or for more info then please visit:

My Website

Ruth's Artwork

Ruth's Blog

Real Time WIP of Teddy Bear in soft pastels

This is how I normally do WIP. I post in real time and you'll all know when I go wrong.

I did the drawing yesterday but had so much on I did not post. It is on a piece of La Carte that must have been on the easel for almost a year as I have not done any pastels recently. I drew the teddy on layout paper I transferred it to the pastel paper with aid of some Generals white pastel stick and went over with General's white charcoal pencil.

… Continue

Posted on April 9, 2008 at 5:30pm — 1 Comment

Watercolour WIP of Gerbera

Gerbera in watercolour using glazing
Stage one

A gerbera is a complex flower and it is easier to keep track of the petals if you think of it like a clockface.

… Continue

Posted on April 8, 2008 at 9:30am —

Acrylic WIP of Red Pepper

A Pepper in Acrylic (a medium I don't paint with) When I paint in an unfamilar medium I almost aways start with an apple or a pepper and paint from life. It gives me confidence if I can achieve a sort of 3D effect.

I had an offcut of W&N Galleria paper about 10x6" and I drew the outline of the pepper in dilute black acrylic.

… Continue

Posted on April 8, 2008 at 9:00am —

WIP of Daffodil in Oil - my one and only oil to date

Here I am posting an old work in progress, so I may not be too sure of exactly what I did and why.

It is oil paints and I think the term for how I painted it is alla prima, that doesn't sound right perhaps it was aloo gobi, oops no that's from the Indian. Anyway I think I painted it sort of straight through.

The first picture is my inspiration, some daffs in a vase.

… Continue

Posted on April 7, 2008 at 7:30pm —

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At 4:06pm on March 31, 2009, Dreamkeeper said…: Hey there Pioneer , my name is Mary and I've been given a huge desicion to make to-day , so I've been going thru the groups to see how they are set up and to my surprise if they have any kind of format yet .
I dropped out of 2 groups that I really would have liked because there is no place to collectively post art and lots of luck finding anything . this is going to be interesting and fortunately my off beat humor has come back , Mary

At 12:08am on March 4, 2009, newby said…: Hi Ruth not a problem for a couple of month my side but don't know how it would stand with the site every thing is altering and there are now different rules set up so maybe you could ask Phil if it would be fine all the best Pat

At 9:48pm on March 3, 2009, newby said…: Hi Ruth glad to see you are back I will be glad to hand the group back over to you now,all the best Pat

At 3:22am on February 7, 2009, Eve M. said…

At 9:42pm on December 31, 2008, SHY said…: Happy New Year fellow Pioneer

At 5:25pm on November 24, 2008, frederick west said…: hi have looked at your work but am more interested in norwich I come from March
www.templeglassarts.com

At 9:39am on October 15, 2008, Mariebubbly said…: Hi Ruth,
Thanks a lot for your Gerbera demo, My mom loves these flowers, and so I was looking for some inspiration, thanks a bunch!

Will keep you posted on how my painting comes out!!

Love,
Marie.

At 7:01pm on September 3, 2008, newby said…: Hi Ruth, just a question is the group still active?? there as been no projects since the negative one so just wondered if you are still available for the group, hope you did not mind me asking Pat