The Lilac Heron -a painting from sketch to finished products

I love to play with colour and am always inspired by the blue herons that visit our shores each Summer.

We have actually had one stoic heron who has refused to migrate with his chums, deciding first to nest with the snowy egrets (as they go south later in the season) and then staying on when they packed it in.

This piece is dedicated to him (or her for I actually cannot tell) with much artistic license in colour.

Per usual it all begins with sketch of shapes and lines in my journal, usually sitting out in our garden or on the beach.

Circles and lines and view points make the foundation of what is to come, over which comes more sketching:

Usually at this point we've moved digitally and then I can have layers to define line and give a good sort of 'inking' of our fellow here.

Then the fun really begins: Color

Believe it or not I've probably about 10 layers of colours, trying out this and than, adding jabs of hot pink or shocking yellow, shutting them off and on until I am happy (are any of us really happy with the end result 100 percent?) enough to call it 'done'.

I do love a GIF so here it is in process

Then, in the case of this piece, I knew he was bound for Things. To be graphic designed onto objects and thus we have things like:

A phone case

A Bag

Various style of shirts

I also love to create repeats for things like Wrappingpaper

I have to say the process of graphic design with the artwork at this stage is rather fun.

I will most likely, with the repeat here on wrapping paper and pillow shams and the like, add more detail with probably seaweed or vines to make a wallpaper. The peel and stick wallpapers out now are pretty magical.

I'm hoping , this year, to create a pattern for a fun project in my house using my own design from wallpaper to fabric. I've had intentions of this for a few years, but one gets distracted making art or the desire to go , again, out with one's sketchbook in hand and scribble lines and shapes until a piece of art is made.

I also rather like the good ole Print in a frame as well

I love the process of idea and a few jabs on paper out of doors to final product.

The journey we take as artists, from ideas to dreams to various forms of fruitful result, has always fascinated me. I've never felt the need to ONLY make serious one off pieces. When I have a piece I've loved and feel is 'special' she (for it is often a figural piece) will exist in only one form (usually oil on canvas or digital oil but in only ONE final piece); yet I love the idea of a piece becoming many things that can be loved or used by many people. It is just an intriguing bit of the artworld.

I hope you enjoyed this little journey from scribble to end result and what excites you about creating art and making craft?

If you like any of these things they can be had Here and remember to stay creative!

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