A showery day, sharp light clamped under rain clouds, brings up the contrast between the shade and the things that grow there. All the better, then, for spotting treasure. A solitary white sweet pea has its own complex scent, holding its own against the lavender I’ve climbed over to investigate. … Read More
When you’re drawing sweet peas and a load of bumble bees rock up for the hydrangeas… I had planned to report on the astonishing palette of colour in the sweet peas – one cultivated plant a palette of pinks and purples, the wild sweet peas the fashiony show-offs of the garden … Read More
Edibles… I grow crops for the kitchen in pots, amongst the flowers and in improvised planters. Drawing them shows me that they’re every bit as beautiful as the plants I grow for decoration or for their scent. Pea green turns out to be pea greens, a palette of hues from … Read More
When I spend time with plants through drawing, I notice things about their structure that I haven’t thought about before. The hollyhocks are in bud, in flower and going over all at the same time, throwing their iced cake decoration buds skywards, shaking out petals and serving up generous portions … Read More
“One day, that garden will consume you”, said a friend in response to a photo of my drawing location for the day. The lavender is already blocking my way to the end of the garden… but my reward for climbing over it is a glorious cloud of perfume. As I … Read More
Looking at my garden with a drawing eye, I’ve learned to appreciate the plants that pop in unplanned. This season, fennel I thought was no more is springing up all over the place, adding its feathery texture to the sweet peas and verbena. It’s home to wildlife too: it was … Read More
I’ve taken to calling them coffee bees. First thing in the morning, when I wander out into the garden with my coffee, the poppies, just open, are abuzz with them. If I spoke bee, I’d probably find that the conversation was something work-related. As I take a moment before the … Read More
Drawing a plant is full of discovery. Drawing the garden over time has shown me that it’s in perpetual motion. I’ve drawn the allium a couple of times and was wondering if I might need more than one sketch here to show the umbrella-frame buds, flowers open and now, seed … Read More
My cottage garden in the city is a haven for wild creatures. I’ve spotted my first holly blue butterflies and damselfly of the season, yet to pause for long enough to be drawn. But meanwhile, a beautiful little day-flying moth has sat obligingly on the lemon balm in the early … Read More
After April’s rain in May, sudden sunshine – and everywhere, purple… There’s a lot more to the irises’ purple than a first glance suggests. Glossy buds like tightly-rolled satin are almost-black in the shade. Big, blowsy petals need layers, some blue and pink, to build up their brilliance on waste coated … Read More