Welcome to my art journal, where I write about my drawings and how my little garden, the fields and woodlands close to my home and the seasons influence my art practice.
My screen this week has been filled with the blossoming petals of a peony. I try to concentrate on the clouds of colour, working in highly magnified detail, rather than trying to make the drawing look like a flower. I sometimes only zoom out to view the whole picture after a full hour of work.
I can see my little garden bursting into life from my desk by the window. The Elephant Ears were the first flowers to arrive this year.
I created a quick sketch to preserve the memory of the first flush of colour that celebrated the end of the colder months. Quick shading – not worrying if it was patchy here and there – just capturing the moment rather than aiming for a perfect representation. I save all these little sketches and they are really useful when I am drawing in the depths of winter.
Yesterday I took on a new commission to create a logo for a lovely client’s new community venture. For an early draft I created a fast sketch and used a light watercolour wash to suggest a colour palette. Below is a little detail from the centre of my picture.
We are now in one of my favourite stages of the project – where I get sent a lot of photos and pictures as inspiration, which I then get to interpret into the final design. I’ve been asked to add fairy lights and I’ll spend the next few enjoyable days playing with light and shade. I think perhaps early evening in a spring or summer cottage garden might be perfect.
I’d love to here your ideas for cottage garden plants to add to my commission. Please feel very welcome to leave me a comment below 🙂
Visit my Little Art Shop: www.tinypotager.shop
Commission Enquiries: tinypotager@hotmail.com
Tiny Potager 
Wonderful to see your art and your business flourishing! Bonne chance!
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Thank you so much Laurie – it is entirely down to the support and encouragement of lovely friends like yourself xxx
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XO
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As a child I always painted pictures of cottage gardens with hollyhocks – but I’m sure you ave thought of those
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I love hollyhocks – I grow them accidentally after one self-seeded and spread across a whole bed! I have never drawn them though, so would love to this time 🙂 Did you keep your childhood drawings?
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None kept – that was a long time ago 🙂
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Your shop has very nice items! I want to let you know that the link you wrote is broken because there is a letter T in front of the WWW. Easy to fix though. Have a great day! 😎🇬🇧
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Thank you John 😀 I could not see the “t” but I have retyped the address and hope it works for everyone now, fingers crossed x
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Beautiful
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Thank you so much Sheree x
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Pleasure
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Your work is absolutely beautiful! Thank you for the link and I can’t wait to see how you cottage turns out. ❤️ Kindly, Diana
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Thank you so much Diana … I’ve got a little braver to put my first drafts online (rather than just the more polished pieces) because the feedback from friends really helps 🙂 Hope you are having a lovely day x
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Love your art work. Congratulations !
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Thank you very much! 🤗 🤍
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Of course, a pot of tea on a garden table is necessary somewhere in the art work. I’ll be interested in other details as you add them.
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Thank you x I’ve so far added hollyhocks, foxgloves, wisteria and geraniums – I shall have to post an update soon! x
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I’m so glad you are getting braver! As it’s so inspiring to see how a work in progress goes. I’m not sure if this would fit a cottage, but for some reason succulents came to mind, there is so many pretty shades of green and other colors with succulents! Just an idea! 😀
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Thank you x It’s funny you should say that because I really do want to try drawing succulents! Maybe a set of three? I’m keeping my eye out for a lovely reference photo 😀
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Your art work is beautiful!! Peonies are among some of my favourite flowers.
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Thank you so much x I have been wanting to draw a peony for ages and my friend Sally was kind enough to let me use her photo as a reference. I hope to grow my own next year, but know they are a bit tricky!
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Climbing roses! A must for a cottage garden. I painted a Beatrix Potter window, which had an English garden around it. You can check it out on pontiusartist.com or Instagram pontiusartist1
And I love to paint flowers as well! Love your thoughts I could relate!
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Thank you x I have found you on instagram and followed x
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I follow your pics with amazement on Instagram. While I love your peonies, I adore the tea table.
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Thank so much Jo xxx I’ve been working on the tea table pic all week. My friend is a Chaplain and it’s a logo for her new community venture – I’ll post an update soon 😀
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How about fritillaries? But I don’t think they last long. Your artwork is beautiful and it must be a great way to earn a living. 🙂 🙂
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Fritillaries are so pretty – I keep seeing friends photos of them this year and I need to grow some myself! 😀 Thank you so much – I love drawing very much and it’s a joyful way to help support my family 🙂
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Love the flowers and how you explain the process!! Thank you for sharing the pretty flowers.
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Thank you so much xxx
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