Morning with Poppies
A fine June morning. The last of the poppies in bloom. House wrens warble insistently near their nest, while red-eyed vireos and veeries sing in the surrounding woods. Petals drop from the poppies as I sketch—their moment is so extravagant, so lovely, so fleeting.
No tips or techniques today—got to get back to the garden. But feel free to ask questions if you have them.
Drawn In 
I like the way you included all the birds you heard or saw without actually drawing them. What a great way to include them in the experience of seeing and painting the poppies.
Hi Peggy- The longer I sat, the more I heard and the birds became a part of the experience. I didn’t think about adding them until the end, but I’m glad they are here.
I love poppies and yours are beautiful-they are always very reliable growers and they thrive even close to the Redwoods.
I try to mostly plant native flowers to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, but I have a few exceptions for other favorites. I’d like to get the poppies to naturalize in some meadow areas, but I’m not sure they would.
Beautiful as always, Jean. I loved sitting in on your session on the NJ educators webinar yesterday — thanks for the tips and insight!
Thank you! I’m glad it was a helpful session. I was surprised by how many attended that session– wish we had had more time for questions!
Your work is always so lovely and peaceful! What’s your favorite sketchbook and paint brand (s).
Thank for sharing!
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I’m using a Handbook with 140lb watercolor paper and like it a lot. I also use the Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook, and l love the smooth paper for drawing. It’s trickier for watercolor and not a good fit if you use a lot of water. I’m about to try a Hamaneule (sp) watercolor sketchbook, so stay tuned. I use mainly QoR watercolors and I’m very pleased with them. They are made in New York State so I love supporting a “local” business. I also use Daniel Smith and Winsor and Newton. All three are reliably excellent.
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div dir=”ltr”>Thank you so much for your reply and, again, for sharing. I look forward every week to see wh
I love poppies in their deep orange shades. Beautiful work as always, Jean. Amazing how prolific you can be even with your full-time job.
P.S. And these poppies would pair nicely with Baltimore Orioles as I’m sure you’re aware of!
Thanks Marleny- I don’t always feel prolific…just steady.
Beautiful as always! Can I ask what colors you used to capture their glow? Every year I try, but fail to get that magic.
Hi Denise– I used Hansa yellow medium and Pyrrol scarlet on the first layer, with more yellow than scarlet. Second layer had more scarlet. The darkest layer is Alizarin crimson with Hansa yellow. I think the trick is to start light, so that you can juxtapose the light with darker oranges and reds. I adjust along the way with pale washes of yellow as needed to enhance the glow. Hope that helps. Play around with yellow + warm red mixes to see what works best.
Thanks Jean! I’m archiving this for next year when my poppies bloom again!’
We only get one go at them — I made mental notes last year about warm reds and yellow combinations, then tested them before working on this.
Just lovely! I always look forward to seeing your sketchbook pages. I Love also the way you recorded the birds you saw….they just fit in artiscally with your drawing! Really awesome!
Thanks Betty! I’m glad I added the birds. They capture the moment more than the flowers could do alone.
So beautiful and so very POPPY!!
Thanks Margo.
So so beautiful, Jean! Love how you included the bird names, imagining them in the distance but not really interacting with the poppies! I’ve never heard of a veerie!
Check out the All About Birds website for the veery…it has a lovely song.
Thanks! I will!
I love those poppies. And, you did them justice. We have a birdhouse and hummingbird feeder and a water fountain and we love watching the birds every day.
Thanks Gwen. I have several nectar producing flowers that will bloom in a few weeks, so hope to see more butterflies and hummingbirds then. Glad you are enjoying the birds in your yard!
Jean
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Yea, POPPIES! And what a fun idea to scatter the birds into the frame, it makes me imagine hearing them while in the garden.