work

Cutting a leaf circle

"Leafcutter Bee Cutting Leaf Circle from Rose Branch”, 2012 Ink and brush with some body colour, on Bristol Board, approx. 7″ x 4.5″ Here's another in my series of ink drawings based on Leafcutter Bees. This one shows a bee on a branch of rose leaves which are one of their favourite plants for harvesting nest material. Watching a bee cut a circle from a rose leaf is a truly wonderful experience. Once again I have used Winsor & Newton liquid Indian ink, which I absolutely love using. The paper is Bristol…

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November 6, 2012
Cutting a leaf circle
method / work

A dry oak leaf in ink

Stages in the drawing of an oak leaf in ink Above: Four stages in the drawing of a dried oak leaf, using ink and a brush. Click on any of the thumbnails for a closer look. For this drawing I worked from life, using an oak leaf I had found during a walk. I lit the leaf low from the side, so that I could study its veins. I first drew out the main shape and veins in pencil, and added several layers of pale wash to give the form…

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July 2, 2012
A dry oak leaf in ink
method / work

Rose leaves in ink

Last summer I picked and kept some of the rose leaves from the garden, and I have dried these and kept them for making drawings from. Some of them include leaves which have lots of holes which have been cut by leafcutter bees, who use the leaf circles to construct their nests. You can read more about this process and how the bees use the leaves here. Over winter I have been studying these leaves in detail, learning about their structure, and drawing them in various media. The drawings have…

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May 1, 2012
Rose leaves in ink