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| Climbing aster |
Last Saturday was our first sketch outing at the Fakahatchee StrandPreserve State Park for the year, as well as the WorldWide SketchCrawldate. We had a wonderful turn-out for
our group, and beautiful weather. With
so many interesting subjects, it was difficult to choose just one or two!
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| Starting the sketch, using dots as a reference for the petal placement. |
As usual, I found myself looking at the small things. Along the edge of a wooded area, a flash of
lavender and yellow about eye-level lured me over. Growing in a tangle and wandering up the
trunk and branches of a bald cypress was the largest climbing aster (Aster carolinianus) I’ve ever seen before.
It was in all stages of bloom, from flower-buds to seed-heads. I quickly sketched it in ink (dodging the
numerous honeybees) and moved to a nearby picnic table to add color with my
watercolor travel palette and waterbrush.
After completing that page in my sketchbook, I checked the color choices
with the vine in question and noticed a small broken branch hanging precariously
among the other branches. What caught my
eye this time was the unusual airplant growing from the lichen-encrusted
bark. Luckily I had brought a reference
book or two, and with the help of a friend decided it was the potbelly
airplant, Tillandsia paucifolia. I don’t see these very often and was excited
to sketch it!
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| Potbelly airplant. |
I was able to complete an ink drawing, but with no color, as our time
was drawing to an end. After taking a
reference shot with my camera, I carefully hooked the broken branch back onto a
sturdier branch so it wouldn't fall to the ground. I wasn’t able to draw
the many tiny seedling “pups” that were growing on a seedhead, or the different
lichens,but perhaps that’s for another time.
I was told that one of the lichens was named “old man’s beard” – I’ll
leave you to guess which lichen it is from the photo below!
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| Click on any image to view larger. |
Media:
- Nature Sketch sketchbook by Pentalic, 7x5 inches
- Pitt Artist Pen by Faber Castell, size XS for the drawing, size S for the writing
- Daniel Smith watercolors
- Niji Aquabrush, size S
