Vestibulum lacinia ante lacus, in malesuada arcu bibendum quis. Phasellus in metus est. Proin aliquet est quis mauris eleifend vestibulum. Nam vulputate dolor a mi ornare laoreet vitae eu nisl. Praesent auctor felis magna, quis bibendum augue consequat ac. Integer diam est, posuere id ultrices ut, bibendum a turpis. Integer … Read More
I’ve been sowing seeds, some in pots, some in the ground. It’s the third anniversary of this project – a good time to wrap it up. I look for something conclusive to draw. I have in mind a whole garden sketch. But in Spring, nature is in no mood to … Read More
It’s the weekend when the clocks go forward. The first tulips are out. In the nearly-three-years of this project, sketching plants has taught me a lot about time. But today, it shows me a parallel universe. This project started in the surreal stillness of lockdown, in an unseasonably-warm Spring. I … Read More
Mother’s Day. Neither mother, nor with a mother to visit, I head instead for what’s newborn in the garden. The tulips are in bud. But what catches my eye first is a magnificent caterpillar. I should mind its nibblings – but look at it, an elaborately-plaited braid of a thing… so … Read More
There’s a dead shrub in the garden, undermined by the ivy, left standing for bird feeders. But wandering my urban plot for things to draw, I see that it’s hosting new life, green with lichen and this year for the first time, sporting rich red-brown fungus, waxy, gathered into its … Read More
Stripes. Borders. Feathers of tightly-folded leaf unfurling. Wonderfully alien-looking serrated scrolls presenting new stems. Colour so vivid I have to start with highlighter. Never mind the chill wind – the roses are going for it. It takes a lot of colour (and a lot of looking) to show this new growth. … Read More
It’s chilly, back to Winter after last week’s glimpse of Spring. So I pick a stem of narcissus and a fallen-over crocus for a closer look indoors. I’ve picked the crocus for its saffron – but as soon as it’s in water, it flings out its petals, demanding my attention for … Read More
The garden seems to have got the message… I’ve been sketching indoor flowers this week in a fragment of time between design tasks. Then, as I glance out on a slow Saturday morning, narcissi. The pop of colour draws me out into the garden and as I get my eye … Read More
Loo rolls. Not the most glamorous things to write about in this week of hearts and flowers. But I save them for sowing sweet peas. Their delicate roots don’t like being moved so these, I can plant whole. Cardboard and compost aren’t the most glamorous things to draw either – I … Read More
It’s been a bruising week. But as I get my eye in to the hydrangea, I see that below the spent flower heads, dark and hunched, bright buds are popping open before my eyes. I add messy swirls of colour for some animation. The Forsythia has a flower out, leading … Read More