Sketchbook Pages

I'm enjoying working into the second of the handmade sketchbooks Laura threw my way. This is a bigger book than the first and the larger pages give me a bit more scope to experiment with areas of loud colour. Maybe it's because spring is on the way - I'm loving lots of bright colours after the sombre winter skies!

As well as taking her book, I've also stolen one of her photographs to work from. I loved this bird of prey Laura photographed at Blists Hill recently. The orange colour was already a part of the printed page but I happily incorporated it on his wing feathers which in real life were a warm reddish brown. Good fortune that his beak and eye were orange too!

I've taken one of the monoprinted motifs that was already on the page and recreated it using oil pastel and watercolour wash. One of my favourite combinations of technique. I think the bold colours on the lefthand page balance the image on the right.

On another page I've made a monoprint over an image of twiggy tree branches and then invented the right hand page to extend the image. It's such a fast and easy technique - takes longer for the paint to dry than to do! Hope the above gives you an idea or two if, like me, you're working into a printed sketchbook.

Bye for now - Linda x