Lavender Fairy

Coloured pencil on Stonehenge paper 7" x 5"

If there are fairies at the bottom of the garden then I hope they look something like this.... because of where I live it had to be a Lavender Fairy of course!

The coloured pencil was a departure for me - I liked that I could get detail with them easily but I find them a little difficult and not as satisfying as actual paint.

I always think that a fairy must have wings something like a butterfly, but of course it doesn't have to be that way they could be very fine and transparent like a fly.

When I fiddled with this drawing in a software programme and made it negative, I rather liked the look of the wings.... interesting.

The Red Dress

Acrylics in watercolour sketchbook 12" x 10"

Seems I am inspired by trees and woods lately. Asked if I could paint fairies I said no, I am no good with fantasy although I wish I were.

Anyhow this is it and I wish I had left off the wings but you live and learn!

I do like the sunlight captured here so all is not lost as I think I may be able to do something in the future with strong contrasts of light and shadow.

That's what sketchbooks are for, isn't it? Playing around and learning through play.

Summer Days and Fairies

Ink on tinted sketch paper - After Charles Robinson's The Siesta

A quick study of the illustration entitled The Siesta, which appealed to me because the fairies seem to be using a cobweb as a hammock. It reminds me of warm Summer days languidly lying in our hammock. I also adored the shape of the cat.

I could have worked more on this to give more detail, but didn't really have the time.