Watercolour paint choice is very personal, and everyone will have their own favourite colours.  I have recently been giving the matter more thought as I try to simplify equipment lists for students, and thought I’d share my paint box with you. My paint box in use I also made a guide to the colours I use which was a first.  I have been painting for 30 years and it is only now I have felt inclined to produce a (surprisingly useful) colour chart of the contents of my paint box.  Old dog new tricks, anyone? My paintbox alongside my guide Below is the guide so you can see what stor ..read more

Small-leaved lime Tilia cordata and other Lime or Linden trees   This is one of a series of blogs I’m writing on common British trees.  You can also see blogs on the Elder, the Yew, the Ash, the Oak, the Holly, the Sycamore, the Rowan, the Hawthorn, the Birch and the Beech. There are 10 species of Lime in the UK, with three growing commonly in the wild.  Along with the Small-leaved Lime Tilia cordata, the focus of this blog; there is the Common lime Tilia x europea and the Large-leaved (or Broad-leaved) lime Tilia platyphyllos.   Lime trees are often called Linden tree ..read more

What is Variegation? Many of the patterns you see on plant leaves, especially on garden and house plants, are caused by variegation. Variegated leaves have areas of paler yellow or white on them, and vary widely form species to species, and between individual plants.  Some variegated leaves even have dark red or scarlet areas. So what’s going on to cause these markings? Variegated zonal geranium leaf Mrs Pollock Variegation happens when cells in the leaves end up without plastid pigments, which normally provide the green chlorophyll we see in most leaves.  This occasionally occurs i ..read more

Potatoes are ubiquitous vegetables, a staple in the west since their introduction from South America in 1590.  They’re bought in shops, planted in gardens, made into crisps and fries; but as well as being a vital food crop, they’re also rather beautiful plants. Varieties of Potato There are hundreds of different potato cultivars.  Some bear potatoes early in the year, others not until autumn.  Some are short and bushy plants, others stand tall with far fewer leaves.  The potatoes themselves vary in colour of flesh and skin, in size, in texture.  Flowers of the potato p ..read more

Introducing patterns One of the things in nature which is worth taking a really close look at is pattern.  Spots, stripes and splotches decorate loads of living things; from beetles to reef fish, snakes to zebras, orchids to sunflower seeds. Peacock Pavo pair with male tail on display They have always amazed and delighted me, and I’ve recently looked a little further into them. Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata What are patterns for? Patterns serve lots of different functions in nature.  They can provide camouflage, which works for predators as well as for prey.  This is true ..read more

Sand hill Screwmoss Syntrichia ruraliformis ruraliformis is one of the species completed for a recent commission.  There were thirteen species of plant I had to illustrate which were growing on Braunton Burrows sand dunes, and the one that occupied me most was certainly this lovely moss. For an overview of the other species illustrated, please check out my blog on the Wildflowers of Braunton Burrows. Star moss Quite a few mosses look starry when viewed from above.  This is because the leaves at the tip of the shoots curve sharply outwards and downwards.  Often they look very dif ..read more

This is the fifth and final of my blogs and linked films, looking for a synthetic watercolour brush to replace the sable ones made by Winsor & Newton.  My Winsor & Newton series 7 number 1 size is the brush I always use. Today I’m reviewing the Escoda Prado Tame synthetic,Escoda Perla White Toray synthetic, Princeton Velvet touch range £4.67, and a number 0 from the Raphaël Set of 3 Sable Brushes Synthetic Travel #01 £10.05 Brushes I’m testing today Sable vs Synthetics – what are the concerns? You may not be surprised to hear that this topic has occupied me, and every time I do a ..read more

As you may have noticed, I’m rather obsessed with grasses, and have blogged on them often.  From an introduction, to learning about them, to celebrating their beauty , discussing the ecological significance of Maram grass (guest blog), and more recently, to telling them from Rushes and sedges (LINK!!!) And, of course, I do botanical illustrations of them rather frequently. Selection of grasses I went on an FSC course recently, this time on identifying grasses (other grass courses by FSC are available here).  And one of the things I learned was some really quick tips to help identify ..read more

Comparing Synthetic Watercolour Brushes – Part 4 is the fourth of my blogs and linked films, questing for a synthetic watercolour brush to replace the sable ones made by Winsor & Newton.  My Winsor & Newton series 7 number 1 size is my go-to brush, and has been for years. Today I’m reviewing Bille Showell’s fine liner, ProArte Masterstroke Series 60 Round, Rosemary & Company Designer Red Dot, and the Winsor & Newton Cotman 111 round Four brushes to be tested today I’m testing the brushes on a botanical illustration of a Lesser Hawkbit, being completed for Braunton Burrows ..read more

This is the third of my blogs (and films, the one specific to this blog is here) trying to find a good synthetic alternative to my beloved Winsor & Newton sable series 7 watercolour brushes.  This time I’m trying out the Princeton Neptune round (Series 4570), Jackson’s Icon synthetic Quill S777 10/0, Escoda Versatil round, and Da Vinci Colineo.  For reviews of the previous synthetic brushes I’ve tested please click here (where I also explain why I love my Winsor and Newton sable so much) and here (where I begin my quest for an alternative synthetic in earnest.) Why look for alter ..read more