Medium: Watercolor wash with layered colored pencil
Size: 8 x 8 inches
Completed: December 2018
The piece began with my interest in texture. I wanted to see if I could create a leather-like background, a worn and textured spoon, and the soft bloom, shadows, and shine of blueberries. I started with a watercolor wash, then built the image slowly with multiple layers of colored pencil.
The composition was based on a reference photo by Mike Kenneally on Unsplash, but I interpreted the piece myself as a study in surface, color, and depth. The contrast between the dark, warm background and the cool blue berries was part of what made the image interesting to me. I liked the way the blueberries sat inside the spoon like small planets in a tarnished little orbit.
This was less about making a finished still life and more about learning what colored pencil could do when layered patiently over a wash. The background, spoon, and berries each gave me a different texture problem to solve.
