Bee Thumbnails, almost on the Drawing Board. And Walk/Sketch 6

I am working on some new paintings.. so far I have been researching and sketching.

I have said before I don’t consistently use one beautiful and carefully annotated sketchbook, I wish I did, but never have and am too old now to change! So rough ideas are sometimes just scribbled on the back of bits of scrap paper.

I will be working on a Heligan Bee.. the only problem is which one??

I have thought and thought about this. I am undecided between a Bumble bee and foxglove, or the wonderful female Anthidium manicatum on the curious motherwort.

anthid bg       anthid bg    

foxgloves      foxglove thumbs bg

The Bombus hypnorum, The pretty Tree Bumble Bee will now be a commission. I am delighted to be painting this bee at last. I have added more blossom.

hyp thumb bg      hyp thumb bg

Another little Osmia rufa Red mason bee with cherry blossom was an alternative commission possibility. I am fond of this one so will probably do it anyway.

osmia rufa bg      osmia thumb col bg

Below are a couple of  thumbnail sketches for another painting of the snailshell bee, also a commission, for Peter and Carol who were fascinated by this combination of bee and shell.

This will be a bigger painting than usual and with two bees. A massive 14 x 14 inches! Nice. It will be two Osmia bicolors, male and female. This is another bee I haven’t painted yet.  These are just first thoughts about how I might position these two bees.

osmia thumb     osmia fam 1 bg

Honeysuckle and Bombus hortorum. I watched these lovely bees both this year and last year on Dad’s honeysuckle. This one will be another commission I think.

honeysuckle bg 

I think that’s enough for now 🙂

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Day 6 Walk/Sketch

I didn’t get out till 5.00 today for my walk/sketch. I was out until 6.15. I know this because I have also been writing down where my day goes..I seem to get nothing done some days so decided to keep a record of where exactly the time goes! Its 7.15 now and I should be getting this posted as I still have emails to write/answer…. so just two sketches today, on this cold grey day. Dark skies and wind in the tall crop made for a gloomy and uneasy walk so I didn’t stay out long. The fishermen were wrapped up.

fishermen bg

and the sky should be much darker!!

lake shore 26th bg

That’s a UK summer for you 🙂

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One Comment

  1. These are wonderful!!! Thanks for sharing your process, it's a joy seeing them come to life. I'm particularly excited to see how the Bombus and honeysuckle turns out . . the double Osmia also looks very promising.
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