Irises on yellow background, 56cm x 76cm

Artist materials:

Brusho inks, writing ink, zen pens, khadi hand-made paper, Bockingford 200lbs, No 12 sable substitute brush.

Palette of  colours:

Gamboge, yellow, turquoise, ultramarine blue, purple, sea green, leaf green, vermillion.

Step 1:

The flowers are drawn freely with Zen Pens using black writing ink. I keep my eyes on the flowers rather than looking back at the drawing.

Step 2:

I decide to use only three colours at this stage and begin by placing yellow on the paper. Ultramarine blue and purple are then added, allowing the colours to bleed and mix onto the paper.
 

Step 3:

The leaves are painted with sea green, leaf green and lemon yellow, laying colours on while the previous wash is still wet. I paint in the lemon yellow background while the leaves are damp then decide that I want the background to be paler at the top of the composition. I dilute the colour in this area so that it’s little more than dirty water. The leaves are allowed to dry off slightly; otherwise the colours will bleed too much. Where colours need lightening or have become indistinct I blot them with kitchen roll.

Step 4:

Now I draw back into the painting with writing ink to redefine those lines that have been lost. The colours are now looking a little dull; I often find that some areas need two applications of ink. The petals are given added vibrancy with a wash of ultramarine blue and purple, while turquoise, sea green, lemon yellow and ultramarine blue are used to liven up the leaves.

Anemones, 76cm x 56cm

Artists materials:

Brusho inks, writing ink, zen pens, khadi hand-made paper, Bockingford 200lbs, No 12 sable substitute brush.

Palette of colours:

Gamboge yellow, ultramarine blue, purple, leaf green, vermillion.

Step 1:

I draw the flowers as before, this time using bold black ink lines.                                        

Step 2:

I begin painting the anemone heads in ultramarine blue, gamboge yellow, vermillion and purple, laying in the centres with black writing ink. The stalks and leaves are painted in leaf green. This hand-made paper cockles quite drastically but will dry down flat. Meanwhile, the cockling results in some interesting pooling effects with the ink. The vase is painted in ultramarine blue. Normally I apply a background colour at this stage but do not feel it is required with paper this colour.

Raku plate with peppers and leeks, 55cm x 76cm

Artist materials:

Bockingford watercolour paper or khadi paper, zen pen, large round brush, brusho inks.

Palette of colours:

Scarlet, vermillion, lemon, yellow, turquoise, gamboges, emerald green, Prussian blue, sea green, ultramarine blue.

Step 1: Drawing the objects

I concentrate totally on the fist shape. The bowl is often a good place to start as it is man-made and therefore has a definite and regular outline, which will give a more geometric structure to contrast with the organic shapes. I sketch the bowls contours, keeping my eyes on the object, not the drawing. I glance ay the work only to check each object is in roughly the right place; my hand moves only when I am looking at the object.

Step 2: Adding colour

While the ink from the drawing is still very wet I begin to add colour. I thoroughly load the brush with a light colour, such as lemon or yellow. If gunny sack paper is used, warmer tones can be expected. I use a strong colour, such as vermillion, to pick out brighter objects like peppers. I work freely with the coloured ink, painting the vegetables and fruit first. The wet ink from the draw line should start to bleed back into the colour, and will produce an ambiguous edge. Before beginning the next stage, I give the painting a chance to dry.
   

Step 3: Painting the bowl

While it is essential to give an idea of shape and strength of the bowl, it is important to keep the work loose. The painting of the bowl is a wonderful opportunity for an exciting use of colour.

Step 4: Grounding the composition

I usually use a strong colour at the bottom of the composition to give the objects a firm foundation.                      

Step 5: Background colours

To bring together the various elements, I use a colour from the vegetables and fruit for the background colour.
I instinctively repeat the colours in the background to give rhythm and balance throughout the painting.