Journal Page: Coneflowers
©2020 Lucinda Howe
It’s coneflower season! My favorite flowers are in bloom. I like the “badminton birdie” shape of the flowers and the loose tangled look of the foliage. As I’ve used coneflowers in my art over several years, they have become part of my visual vocabulary.
Drawing the flowers on a journal page.
This week I’m gathering input instead of producing output. I’m taking coneflowers apart and studying the parts before I use them in my art. I acquaint myself with the botanical structure of coneflowers by drawing them from life. I read about their cultivation and medicinal properties. I abstract their shapes by carving stamps and drawing a mandala. I identify magenta and orange as the characteristic colors.
Monotypes: Coneflowers
I cut new stencils and masks for my collection and printed some monotypes. I experiment with combinations of colors, shapes, and values.
Gelli plate printing with stencil and masks
I’ve discovered that the combinations I like best are the ones with black, white, and one or two colors. If I add too many layers, I lose transparency and dull the colors. It’s a bit like working with watercolor in that I have to plan to leave the white areas.
More coneflowers
This print with black, white, magenta, and orange is my favorite so far. I’m not sure it’s finished, but I’m learning a lot about the techniques of gelli printing.
Coneflowers
Gelli plate monotype
12×12 inches
©2020 Lucinda Howe
What do you think of this process? Do you separate the components of a favorite subject and study them? Do you apply this method to other art forms such as writing, music, or cooking?
8 Comments
Loved reading about this process and your approach. You’ve created some beautiful works!
Thanks, Sharon! I appreciate your encouragement.
Like a lot. The idea of painting my flowers in a journal is also appealing. Cone flowers and s daisies are my favorite. Unfortunately, here in PA where I live now, summer is just starting. The plants are just thinking about being other than green!
Thanks, Mary Lou. I hope your flowers are blooming soon. By that time it will be hot and muggy here and I’ll envy your cooler weather.
Cindy these are so cool! I have been painting flowers too (something about the times I guess) but I’m in too much of a hurry to really study as you’ve been doing. Great work. Your journals are going to be a treasure!
Thanks so much, Pam! I’ve been admiring your flower paintings, too. There is always inspiration in the garden.
Really neat and love your detailed approach. What are you using for your stencil material? As much art as I have transferred here to mountains, I’m still missing so many of my supplies from home.
I like Duralar for stencils because it holds up well, but I only have the 9×12 size. For the larger stencils, I’m using paper from shopping bags and file folders, but they sometimes stick to the plate and tear. I’m cutting stencils from my drawings with a Brother ScanNCut machine.