| I decided to venture into the apple orchard near my home to do more pencil sketching while I continue to rest my hand from the intensity of ink work. There are many elegant grasses coming up and even a few butterflies teased into emerging due to our unseasonably warm temperatures. I was sad to find a slightly damaged Painted Lady(vanessa virginiensis) roadside, probably killed being windswept by a car. I was able to rehydrate and position this little beauty to be including the sketch, though I have only lightly drawn it as I am yet unsure of its placement in the piece. The experience of drawing in the field has been lovely and probably something I should devote more time to in the future. As I sat sketching a wee little Anna's hummingbird in the apple branch above my head sang his heart out, and while the breeze swayed the grasses like waves a large bumble bee searched the field for available nectar. There was a moment in this glory when it all became poetry, lulling me into a state of bliss. |  |
 | I have just been in my studio celebrating the day in my own little fashion, by adding sourgrass(oxalis pes-caprae) and Miner's lettuce(claytonia perfoliata) to one of my field sketches. Yes, I am aware they are quite the nuisance to many gardeners, particularly the non-native sourgrass, but they are both edible and have a bit of charm to their shape that I could not resist drawing. Sometimes I know we artists have strange notions as to what is beautiful, but I hope when this piece is finished you might see 'weeds' with a little less annoyance. |
| I have begun inking this piece with a Painted Lady Butterfly(vanessa virginiensis) and grasses today in studio. I am using both line work and stippling to create depth and movement. I was unsure about the placement of the butterfly, but now having added Sweet Pea Vetch(Fabaceae also known by the Legume Family: Leguminosae) and Minor's lettuce(claytonia perfoliata) it feels as though it is right where it should be- maybe something about the shapes have just pulled it all together. |  |
 | Thought I would give you a bit of an update on the inking process with the Painted Lady Butterfly(vanessa virginiensis) piece with various grasses, including sourgrass(oxalis pes-caprae). The pen initially started out as .20mm, but at this point has been cut down to a hair's width and acts as a very fine brush. The stems of the sourgrass are done in stippling and the leaves in line-work, which allows for a wonderful shading that creates movement. |
| Another update on the inking process with the Painted Lady Butterfly(vanessa virginiensis) piece with various grasses, including sourgrass(oxalis pes-caprae). As you can see I am half way through the grass, but still have the Sweet Pea Vetch(Fabaceae) and more of the Minor's lettuce(claytonia perfoliata) yet to finish. I have also been preparing more butterflies for commissions, including a piece for the Nature Conservancy office in San Fransisco, that will be of the beautiful Variable Checkerspot(euphydryas chalcedona). This is the first time I have been offered a job from them, so I am a wee bit nervous about it, but excited too! I will share more on the Checkerspot once I begin sketching it out. |  |
 | Another update on the inking process with the Painted Lady Butterfly(vanessa virginiensis) piece including various grasses, sourgrass(oxalis pes-caprae), Sweet Pea Vetch(Fabaceae), and Minor's lettuce(claytonia perfoliata). I have chosen to do mostly line-work with the plant speimens, as I wanted to experiment a bit with just how far I could take shadowing using that technique. The butterfly will still be done in stippling, but I believe the fine lines I have been able to achieve will create a good balance between the two |
| I have finally committed to the placement of the butterfly for this piece and have been detailing it in pencil before adding the ink. As soon as I start stippling the little fellow in I will share that process with you too! An artist friend had recently suggested leaving this piece in black and white, and though I had always intended to color it, I may have to ponder that thought a bit. |  |
 | I have started in on inking the butterfly, with a Pigma Micron pen that has been cut down quite a bit. The structure of the pen becomes very flexible when this is done, so you must be very careful with the amount of pressure used when stippling. If you have a steady hand(maybe skip the morning coffee ;-)), a modified pen allows for fine line work too, such as insect antennae and the hair-like surface of the body. I typically finish the stippling before I begin the line work, being that the lines literally need to appear as soft layers to achieve a realistic effect. |
| Thought you might like a wee peek at how the translucent watercolour is bringing to life the sourgrass(oxalis pes-caprae). I am using a very small brush and slowly layering the color in, so as not to over saturate the paper or obscure the detail of the ink. |  |
 | I have added translucent watercolor to the Painted Lady Butterfly(vanessa virginiensis), and am pleased with the depth it has created. Always feels like I am gambling a bit when I lay the color down- is it going to turn out how I have envisioned, or become muddled in too much detail? |