Sketchbook #101: Treasures - Magnolia Seed Pod and others

Magnolia Seed Pods: Sketchbook Pages and a Painting Video

As a big fan of Magnolia Seed Pods, I always draw the very first pod I find in a season - this year it was October 16th - you can read more about the beginning of that day in a slightly-smudged ink below. 

And after the first one magnolia seed pods pop usually into my sketchbook for quite some time. Some years it results in a whole series, some it is just here and there between other things - a record of things I bring with me from my walks. And as a drawer of every day - what to draw if not the contents of one's pockets?  

Later I found some more seed pods and made a video of how I draw and then paint them in my sketchbook. I am using an Ackerman pen with a comic G nib and a combination of watercolor and gouache in my palette. I made an 8x8 print out of it to add to my Etsy if you are interested.

Magnolia Seed Pods Update (I blame the squirrels)

Last week I was drawing and writing about the fact that magnolia seed pods are late this year. I blamed my findings of only old pods on the squirrels. 

But today I got a present - a fresh seed pod! Its end is slightly chewed, so I think I was right about the squirrels. 

My Magnolia Seed Pod Collection

As I mentioned before I picked up a nice collection of magnolia seed pods after the storm and decided that I will draw them all one by one. Slowly but surely all got into my sketchbook through some burst with berries before that happened and others got a little moldy :) 

Some were tiny sketches, some were done with my pentel CMYK brushes, and some were experiments with the texture and ink application (I am collecting a whole bunch of things to choose from for the upcoming "deck of textures" workshop). Others were made with unusual surfaces (though this is lost in the scan so you can never tell) - except if you get to flip through this sketchbook :)

Sketchbook #101: Everyday Life