Muscari - Drawing 7

I picked and brought inside some Muscari which is blooming in my perennial garden.  I took some photographs, then selected and drew three.  Two days later, I used colored pencils to create this study. I like the way the flowers and stems look, but the leaves need more work. I was working in my dining room with natural light and the lighting changed several times. The shading isn't quite complete on the leaves.

Here are a few of the photos and the drawing in progress.

Narcissus - Week 2 of A Year in Bloom

Photography lessons learned this week:

Lesson 1 On creating an interesting photograph
The setting in which the subject is placed is as important as the subject itself. Here I began photographing the vintage blue Ball jar with daffodils in isolation. I love the color combinations. It is rather boring as a photograph though.

Placing the jar of daffodils among other items gives the viewer a sense of place, a sense of scale and is just more interesting overall.

Do you agree?

Lesson 2 Lighting
These photos were shot at 7:30 a.m. on a cloudy morning. No interior lights were on. I was fully expecting the photos to be really dark. Surprisingly, they are not. The natural light, though it was low, was enough. The shutter speed was set to auto so I don't know what the selected ISO was. Probably 800. There is a slight blurriness to the photo because of camera shake while the shutter was open. I think I prefer this lighting to that of a sunny day. I know for next time to set up the tripod to shoot in this light.

Lesson 3 Keep Experimenting
I moved the flowers to my studio where I have a combination of fluorescent lights -  regular daylight and Verilux. I placed a large piece of white mat board behind the flowers and took many close up photos. I really like the results!

Lesson 4 Create a Filter

I was using a magnifying glass while sketching the daffodils. I decided to try it as a macro lens. It was pretty tricky trying to hold the magnifying glass in one hand and the camera in the other AND press the button! It may not have worked as a macro lens, but it did seem to provide a softer look as one might achieve with a filter.  I LOVE how these photos turned out! I should look for one of those old fashioned magnifying lenses on a stand.

This week's drawings

 Another week of other stuff to do. Didn't have as much time to devote to drawing as I would have liked. When the daffodils are blooming in my yard, I will draw them again to have several sketches to work from when I want to do a finished piece.

Phalaenopsis Orchid - Week 1 of A Year in Bloom

Here is the first of what I intend to be 52 flower drawings to be completed over the next year. This is a challenge I have set up for myself to get me into the routine of observing, drawing and photographing a subject.

My daughter gave me this lovely Phalaenopsis orchid for my birthday.  The rich magenta petals accented with plum dots and veins is truly stunning. The first challenge was trying to get the colors true in the photographs. I wanted to use the lace curtains as a backdrop and work with morning sunlight. The sun seemed to be a hindrance so I photographed again in the afternoon when it was cloudy. I experimented with different camera settings.

 

Here are the sketches I worked on:

quick sketch

the back side of the flower

 

  

 I would like to develop these sketches further and add color. I want to do more detail sketches. As I closely examined the flower I discovered a series of triangles within it. I don't have an appropriate macro lens to zoom into these details for photographing.

Fifty Two

I turned 52 years old on February 20th. Honestly, I don't feel that old! Some will tell me that it isn't old at all. Others will agree that yes, I am getting old! I have thoughts about my age, my looks and my future that I need to explore in more depth. It isn't the reason for this post, but may appear in a future one or two.

I realized that the number 52 is how many weeks there are in a year. Thinking this may be a good way to celebrate my personal new year - create something specific once a week for a year. Hmmm, but what? I have already challenged myself to create a mixed media painting once a month beginning last month and continuing until August 2014. See Shakespeare's Flowers post. Btw, I am behind for the flower of February! I have also recently committed to writing a monthly horticulturally related blog column which will be a year in duration. More info coming on that in a few weeks.

So what can I create that is achievable for a once week time frame and that won't take time away from my regular art-making? What do I wish to accomplish? Well, personal goals are:

-write more creatively, possibly developing short stories
-take better photos. How do I do this - experiment with my camera more? or learn how to use Photoshop or some other photo editing software? Both?
- I want to get comfortable at sewing and using a sewing machine. I have two vintage models that both work, so that isn't an issue.
- I love embroidery and did some a very long time ago. I would love to get back to that!

I haven't gotten into the routine of drawing, so I could set a goal of a making a drawing a week.
I don't blog as often as I'd like, so I could make it a goal to write a post each week.

What do you think? Which direction should I take?

Have you given yourself a once-a-week challenge for a year? What was that like? I'd love to hear about it.