Most recent drawings
These drawings were completed in pencil, with some black watercolour added to darken the deepest shadows. They are mainly subjects collected from my garden, for example the feather, the old bird’s nest and snail shells. The clay pipe fragments are just some from a large collection that I’ve found while gardening. The apple is from an elderly wild apple tree which forms part of an old hedgerow in a local field.
These wasp nests above were collected from sheds in the garden. The top two drawings are views of the same nest, which I’ve had for a while now and is gradually crumbling away. The drawings are in pencil.
Lichen and liverwort
These studies of lichen (above) and liverwort (below) were drawn in pencil. I found the lichen during a local walk in woodland, while the liverwort was bought in from my garden where it is very common. I discuss these images, and illustrate stages in the drawing process, in the following posts: Lichen and Liverwort in pencil.
Leafcutter bees
The above drawings of leafcutter bees were painted in ink using a brush. I discuss they way I use this method in the following posts: Leafcutter bee in flight and Leafcutter bee emerging, and there is a further drawing of a Leafcutter bee feeding on a borage flower. I describe my interest in the lives of leafcutter bees, and the illustration of their activities in the information booklet for my solo exhibition: Leafcutter Bees in Brush and Ink.
Leaves in brush and ink
The above images of details of rose leaves also formed part of my solo exhibition: Leafcutter Bees in Brush and Ink. The drawing on the far left shows circles cut out of the leaf by the bees who use them as material for constructing their nests. You can read more about how I created these drawings in the blog post: Rose leaves in ink. And I show stages in the drawing of the larger study below in the post: A dry oak leaf in ink.
Skies and the beach
The above images are all details of larger studies, and were created using a stippling technique and technical pens. The upper three all show clouds in stormy skies, while the lower three are details from drawings of pebbles and driftwood on Fairbourne Beach.