Packaging, Pencils and Inspiration

I hope that everyone had a lovely mother's day and were all spoilt at least a little bit. I was lucky to receive beautiful flowers and much hoped for stab blender thingy, which means that soups can be back on the menu as the weather starts to turn colder. You don't realise how often you use something until it breaks, and then it seems that you need it for every recipe you see. Of course flowers are always welcome , as they not only look great but are also inspirational and it is comforting to know that there is something on hand to draw if you feel like a bit of a change. It is great to have things around which visually inspire you, and they can come from many different sources. The last few days have been a little light on hands on work, but they have been full of inspiration, and from many sources.

Matt and Phoebe also got me a beautiful Italian soap in a perfect white porcelain tray, and the soap smells like melons and peaches and is absolutely exquisite. Even more than the smell and beautiful tray is the packaging which I have photographed and posted here. The drawings are just wonderful and lush and are absolutely inspiring. I am actually a bit desperate to finish the cyclamen now so that I can explore the ideas I am getting looking at the beautiful rich colours. I have put the packaging up above my desk and can't wait to explore some drawings trying to capture that sort of rich, deep colour myself. I am thinking of papaya and passionfruit, with those beautiful passionfruit flowers would be pretty wonderful, but I must finish the piece I am on first. Too many pieces are sitting in my storage draws waiting to be finished off- including a papaya - so maybe I should channel this energy into getting some things finished first.

I have also been happily distracted all day by doing some drawing and trying out some ideas from a new book which arrived on Friday. Ann Swan is a British botanical artist who works in coloured pencils and the book is so overflowing with ideas and techniques, that I have spent hours today reading and experimenting. It is great to read a book which deals so directly in pencil and it has many tips and techniques that I think would have taken me a long time and a lot of trial and error to get to some of the results, so it is time well spent and I am sure that it will quickly become one of my favourite reference books.