I love this time of year when the Holly trees sport their fruit. I discovered this variety of Ilex right outside my door, after I read Elizabeth Smith’s Dahoon post.
The pen illustration with watercolor shadows of the sprig was done as a demo for my last workshop at Coastal Art Supply. I used Canson Edition paper. It’s become a favorite of mine.
I let the illustration hang around in my studio for a couple of weeks. I like the meditative process of finishing a page. I find, after a fashion, a line of communication opens between me and the initial sketch. Last Sunday, I laid in the watercolor on the leaves and berries. Monday, I played with the lettering on a tracing paper overlay. I used watercolor pencils for the calligraphy. Yesterday the final piece of the design puzzle came into place….. I added information about the tree and treated it as a border. Done!
The joy of discovery is captured forever in my heart 🙂
