Magnolia Seedpod: Pen and Ink Sketch in My Temporary Studio in The Bay Area

I was given a magnolia seedpod a couple of days ago while taking pen and ink classes at Filoli Gardens in the Bay Area. The alien looking seedpod is a mixture of intriguing shapes, textures and colors. I made 2 pen and ink sketches with watercolor in my 'temporary studio', which is actually the living room of the hostel during its quiet hours.

Finished sketches.

Watercolor: Toyon Blossom

Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), or Christmas Berry, has almost done blooming by now. Currently the green berries on the trees are slowly turning into red. By the time of Christmas and New Year, these trees decked will red berries and green leaves will be the most delightful holiday eye-candy. Toyon is also called California Holly. This California native perennial shrub grow abundantly in Los Angeles area, therefore we have an area called Hollywood!

A few close-ups:

The process of a beautiful leaf. The imperfection makes it the perfect natural beauty.

About this artwork:

Watercolor

Original size: 12" x 15"

Paper: Fabriano Hot Press 140 Lb

May The Bb Power Be With You,
Ellie 

Pokeweed: Watercolor Sketch

American Pokeweed Phytolacca americana

Family: Phytolaccaceae

Genus: Phytolacca

Species: P. americana

I really like the shape and colors of pokeweed. Maybe because it's native to eastern U.S, I don't see it often. So when I saw it in the farmers market yesterday, I decided instantly that it would be my next model despite that I already have a few on-going projects.

Pokeweed is deadly toxic if eaten raw, so don't let your children or pet play with it.

I did a page of watercolor sketches and plan to draw more tomorrow.

May The Bb Power Be With You,

Ellie

Safflower Carthamus tinctorius

Carthamus tinctorius

Family: Asteraceae

Genus: Carthamus

Species: C. tinctorius

There were several exciting things happened this past week:

1. I finished a watercolor safflower to submit to the art exhibiton at Ventura County Fair.

2. And it's framed!

The safflower was among a field flower bouquet my friend Carol gave me. Although it's not a California native plant, I did love the different textures it had.

The history of human's growing safflower can be traced back to ancient Egypt. Dyes, cooking oil, and traditional medicine can be made. One interesting fact: safflower seed can replace sunflower seed in birdfeeder, since squirrels don't like the taste of it.

About this artwork:

Watercolor

Original size: 12" x 15"

Framed size: 16" x 20"

Paper: Fabriano Hot Press 140 Lb

May The Bb Power Be With You,
Ellie 

Watercolor Sketch with New Seals: Carthamus tinctorius

Lately I've been doing sketches with watercolors in order to loosen my strokes. Yesterday the new seals I ordered one month ago finally arrived with much anticipation. The one at the right says "Little Backyard", while the left one says "Hidden Paradise". I can't wait to use them on my future paintings! Today I tried them out on a watercolor sketch of safflowers. Looking great I say!

May The Bb Power Be With You,

Ellie

Green Hypericum

Watercolor and colored pencil sketch.

Over the weekend I received a bouquet dotted with very refreshing green hypericum. It's said that hypericum has medicinal effects but just by looking at the green berries it is already soothing...

May The Bb Power Be With You!

Ellie

Cyrano La Tomate- Watercolor

This is a tomato (or should I say two tomatoes?) I found at a local organic farmers' market. I named it Cyrano because it has a big nose. However, some people who saw the painting thought it looks more like the heart of an ox or a big animal. For sure it is a tomato with character!

A peek of the painting process:

About this artwork:

Original size: 4.5"x 6"
Paper: Fabriano Hot Press 140 Lb

May The Bb Power Be With You,
Ellie 

Camillia- Watercolor on Vellum

Camillia japonica
Family: Theaceae
Genus: Camillia
Species: C. japonica

In late March, I took a workshop at Filoli Gardens with Denise Walser-Kolar, a Minnesota-based botanical artist specializes in vellum. We got to choose a flower from the garden. I don't know which cultivar it is but it is surely beautiful.

I found vellum very satisfying to paint on and liked in particular the meticulous painting process. It makes me feel that I'm a step closer to the painters back in the Medieval period.

Below is the process of this painting. Pencil drafting stage is skipped though.

About this artwork:
Original size: 4.75"x 7"
Paper: Calfskin vellum by Talas

May The Bb Power Be With You,
Ellie

Thank You, Mom!

It's Mother's Day! Wherever your dear mommy is, I hope you enjoy a warm conversation with her today through telephone, email, text, prayer, telling her in person.....any way!

About this Freesia painting:
Materials: watercolor, Arches Hot Press 140 lb watercolor paper.

May The Bb Power Be With You!
Ellie

Ceanothus gloriosus

Ceanothus gloriosus J.T Howell
Family: Rhamnaceae
Genus: Ceanothus
Species: C. gloriosus

A quick sketch with ink pen and watercolor.
Ceanothus gloriosus is endemic to California. Some people call the genus California Lilac. Generally they are 0.5 to 3 meters tall and burst crazily with white or purplish blue clusters of flowers in spring.

This may be the last ceanothus blossom of this year at the native plant garden of Channel Island National Park. When spring comes, there are so many flowers to draw and to paint! But this year I'm very distracted and couldn't spend too much time to study the ceanothus bushes in the CINP garden. I will have to wait for another 11 months to see the striking blue blooming again.

The most interesting part of the this ceanothus is the color of the flower. It's a purplish blue and kind of tricky to capture it right.

May The Bb Power Be With You,
Ellie

Beach Strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis)

Fragaria chiloensis
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Fragaria
Species: F. chiloensis

You may see them labeled as "Pacific Beach Strawberry". This is not a native plant to the U.S, but is a common ground cover in coastal areas. I bought a 5" pot beach strawberry at Santa Barbara Botanical Garden last October. It started to bear berries in mid-March. The tiny berries are about 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) in diameter and are covered with achenes. The flavor is a bit tangy and very different from commercial strawberries. I really look forward to seeing it taking over the bare patch of my backyard!
The sketch is done with ink pen and watercolor.

May The Bb Power Be With You,
Ellie