Apple Trees

At the beginning of May I visited Orleton Court Farm in Worcestershire and camped in an old apple orchard. The trees were starting to leaf while the main blossom time looked a couple of weeks away. I was struck by all the different shapes formed by the trunks and branches and so took a collection of photos to record their appearance. I had initially planned some illustration work but decided to create a photo collage instead. Clicking on the image should enlarge it.

 

Orange Tip Butterfly

Orange tip butterfly, wild garlic and yellow archangel growing on the steep banks of a dingle near Hanley Child in Worcestershire. I always remember visiting this place below our farm as a child and I returned there a couple of weeks ago to take a few photos. The above illustration worked well, though my iPad struggled to cope with its complexity and so I called it a day when I could perhaps of refined it more. On the day I visited the location there was bright warm sunshine, the ground was very wet and the understory full of luscious vegetation beneath the trees. The aroma of the garlic filled the air along with the sound of the stream tumbling over several small waterfalls.

Hop Picking Machine

 

The tracked time on my iPad says I had this file open for 6 hours and 38 minutes. This might well have included snack breaks and lunch. Even so, I reckon around 5 hours in a farm shed sheltering from the rain and drawing part of one of my favourite subjects was time well spent. I was enjoying myself so much I hadn’t realised I had spent most a day doing this. Why? I wasn’t keen on going out for a walk and getting wet as I was camping in the car on this farm for a few nights. This huge machine gave me an ideal opportunity to just sit and draw and focus on detail. There are so many interesting geometric shapes and different perspectives and I was able to work in complete safety as it is only in operation for a few weeks in late summer. I limited myself to working solely in black linework, no grey tinting or colour allowed.

I am fairly happy with the result, in this case it was the process I enjoyed rather than the final outcome.

Green-veined White

I am not sure how I have missed this butterfly over the years. I have probably ignored the whites and so hadn’t spotted this right under my nose. This was seen in abundance in north Hertfordshire a couple of days ago. I had originally planned to do a drawing of the greater stitchwort and then progressed to include the celandines and bluebells. Also saw the following butterflies in the spring hedgerows: orange tip, a blue, brimstone and a peacock. This iPad illustration is so full of spring colours and I was very pleased with the way it turned out - capturing all the colour and vibrancy of a roadside verge on a clear sunny day.

 

Cottage by the sea

 Birthday card for my wife. Procreate on iPad.

 

Daffodils

Two daffodils. iPad illustration, Affinity Designer.

 

Sunlit Oaks

 

Quick sketch made whilst out for a walk today of sunlight in an oak wood near Lilley, Hertfordshire. The bright green mosses covering the trees beautifully backlit by warm sunshine. Procreate on iPad, 29 minutes.

Liquitex Acrylic Gouache Paints

 

I asked for some Liquitex Acrylic Gouache paints for my birthday and have been pleased with the results. The colours are bright and suit my way of working well. I have never got on with normal acrylic paints, these are far easier to use - good consistency, good opaqueness and remind me of working with the acrylic inks I used to use back in the good old days.

Hop Picking

 

This took a bit of working on and I could have tweaked it here and there. This is a hop picking machine I visited in September in Worcestershire. The two workers are attaching the hop bines brought in from the hop yards to the trackway. The hops are then lifted into the picking machine which strips the hop cones from the bines, removes all the stalks and leaves, and carries the cones off to to be dried. Just outside the shed himalayan balsam and woody nightshade were growing. I added them in, along with a few hops at the top, to frame the image.

I started by drawing a outline A3 sketch in pencil which I then scanned. From then on I worked entirely on the iPad, using the split screen function to view reference photos and my working image side by side. The final image was A3, 300 dpi and 190MB. With such a large file size I was limited to 30 layers so had to keep flattening parts as I progressed. 

Classic Pizza Company

 The Classic Pizza Company at Orleton Court Farm in Worcestershire serving up delicious pizzas paired with craft beers brewed onsite with home-grown hops. This illustration took probably the longest time I have ever spent on an artwork in terms of production, not actual drawing time. I have been dipping in and out of it over several months, eager to work on it but somehow finding it hard to concentrate on the detail and apprehensive of what direction it was going to take. I am fairly happy with the result, though  I had considered redoing it to make a few improvements.

Reflection

Another example of me not drawing what I had been planning to draw, but what I wanted to draw.

 

Biomass

Last year, fields of maize were harvested for biomass near Hitchin and the chopped maize stored in long sealed bags at the field edge (at a guess about 15ft wide and well over 100ft + long - like an enormous sausage). Passed the site today and saw this machine, a Ropa Euro Maus, waiting to unload the bag into a large articulated lorry. Unfortunately, I didn't see it in action because the lorry it was loading had got stuck in mud. After a few attempts of using a JCB telehandler to push it free, the lorry had to empty out its load (walking floor, not a tipper) until it was light enough to be pulled out using the JCB and a heavy chain. The lorry then drove off, empty.

I had only ever seen machines like this on YouTube used to load sugarbeet from stockpiles in fields into lorries - with a different header. I decided to adjust the photo I took and make it into a rather more interesting illustration on my iPad.

 

Walled Garden

The walled garden at The Whittern in Herefordshire where we stayed last week. The evening sunshine, when we had it, was wonderful and produced some gorgeous greens when the beech hedges were backlit. I captured the effect over a couple of evenings. I was just in time as the hedges were trimmed the day after I finished this.

Westonbury Water Garden

The cuckoo clock at Westonbury Water Garden near Pembridge in Herefordshire. A beautiful, luscious garden with wonderful plants and quirky follies. Halfway into drawing this the sun came out which made seeing the image on my iPad almost impossible, plus it was very hot. Still, I was pleased with the result.

Cow Parsley

This picture was meant to be a couple having afternoon tea in a garden. However, I got stuck planning the illustration and deciding how to draw the characters. After spending a week or so doodling ideas I then decided to draw this. (Affinity Designer on iPad)

Radishes

The first radishes picked from the garden. For once, I knew exactly where I wanted to go with this sketch and it worked well. Perhaps I will do more like this as I am not out and about as much at the moment along with everyone else. I am missing going out and sketching in cafes so enjoying a few challenges attempting different illustration styles.

Shed

 I am enjoying the results of doing some illustrations like this, though I don't really enjoy the process of doing them. This took a while to do, according to my iPad it took 14 hours and 28 minutes. I tend to get distracted easily so I hid myself in the summerhouse today to finish it off.  90% pleased with the result.

Hills

It might be a while until I see some hills like this again so I thought I would draw some. Thinking about all the people in Worcestershire around Ludlow/Tenbury Wells who suffered from flooding and now have to cope with the lockdown.

Window

Not quite sure why I drew this... I was scribbling one day and perhaps thinking about people isolating themselves. After the snowdrop picture this was a little more quirky.

Snowdrops

Snowdrops, ivy and spotted deadnettle. I took a photograph of snowdrops in a churchyard a few weeks ago. This was used a base from which to work up this illustration. It has taken a while as I kept dipping in and out of it during lunch breaks, evenings and other odd moments.