Sketchbook Harvest
I picked up my first quart of local strawberries a few weeks ago and have been supporting our farm stand at least once a week since. Although I wanted to set some aside to draw, we kept eating them before I could manage it. This week I finally showed some restraint. And here you have it: twelve local strawberries with personality; the way a strawberry should be.
I also made time to sketch peas in our garden this week. The yield won’t amount to much, but I enjoy them equally for drawing and eating.
Tips and Techniques— Subtle or bold? Don’t be afraid to let color stand out in your paintings. Garden vegetables and flowers almost demand it. At the same time, you can treat your use of color in different ways. Here, the strawberries called for fully saturated color, but the peas were more delicate. I wanted to see how how they would look if I drew and shaded them extensively in sepia ink, before adding watercolor. This gave me the option of hinting at color in several places and using pale washes to create depth.
Drawn In 
These sketches look good enough to eat! Always admire the work you do.
Thank you! Hope you have some sweet local strawberries where you are!
I really like the „ ghosting“ peas in the background. It really conveys the crowded way peas grow without making the picture look cluttered and chaotic
Thanks Marilyn- There was so much tangle! I’m glad the ghosting helped convey it without overwhelming the page.
what I would give to watch you complete a piece like your peas Jean. It’s everything I want to learn so badly as a beginner. How do you get the palest background leaves that almost looks like mist.
You should try it! I do that wash last and use a very, very light mix — lots of water and not much pigment. You might want to try it on a scrap sheet to get the hang of it. You can lightly pencil in the shapes and then paint them. Keep the paint very wet so that it doesn’t start drying until you are finished. If nothing else, you’ll discover how to mix very pale shades and practice brushwork. Good luck!
Are you saying you paint the background very faint leaves and stems last after you’ve done the foreground? I would have thought the complete opposite!
Yes– It’s sounds like the opposite of what you would think, but I don’t know whether a piece will need it until it’s nearly finished. Doing it last also gives me the opportunity to fill spaces that are a little empty.
what I would give to watch you complete a piece like your peas Jean. It’s everything I want to learn so badly as a beginner. How do you get the palest background leaves that almost looks like mist.
As always, Jean, these are exquisite. I love the peas drawing because of the depth you achieved with those pale washes as well as your drawings of the peas. It comes together really nicely.
Thank you. Even though the drawing was very detailed, I found I needed that background layer to add the depth I wanted.
Wow, love the peas!!!! Love it! Such a beautiful watercolor! I wish I could draw like this! Beautiful!
Practice, practice! Notice how I just did a section at a time, which made the complicated tangle more manageable. Thanks for your comment!
It’s no surprise the first quart of strawberries “mysteriously” disappeared before your eyes! Hahaha! I’ll bet the folks at the farm stand weren’t surprised to see you back so soon! Awesome advertising for farm-fresh strawberries. Your drawing to painting looks good enough to eat.
Those garden peas also look crisp, tender and delicious! Beautiful job with the subtle coloring. Did you gobble your entire crop of the peas too! I would’ve!
Thanks Barb– The peas are still on the vine…but not for long.
😂
These two sketches hint at your skill and imagination – cheerful, bright and straightforward on one hand and subtle, soft and complex on the other hand. I like them both. 🙂