I did this study back at the end of December, the sketch was done outside and I painted it near the woodstove heat at night! I’ve included lots of pictures to show some stages of painting and other fungi I found.
My view of the stump and rocks covered by moss.
This is the view I had from my place on the damp, cold ground. It’s just a pile of rocks and old stumps but I’m drawn to the deep cracks and crevices the connect them all like a puzzle. When I draw this kind of subject, I usually get a bit lost with all the crevices and rocks, but being that it’s a natural subject, you can just adjust it as needed so it looks ok.
My sketch in progress.
Above shows the size of my sketchpad and the thick thermal gloves I wore. I also had my rubber gardening pants and Wellies on because it was so cold and wet on the ground.
Deadman’s Fingers on the old stump.
The pictures above and below show the interesting fungi that grows out of the stump. The fungi is either Xylaria polymorpha (Deadman’s Fingers, what a name eh?) or Xylaria longpipes. The guide says Xylaria, “look for: hard, tough, usually dark brown to black, clustered finger-like fruit body on dead wood.” Well the black fungi on this stump is much skinnier than what the book shows, but maybe it’s because it swells up at a certain time of year?
Another view of the fungi, Deadman’s Fingers, and lots of soft moss.
Mossy old stump with many interesting fungi growing on it.
This is the sketch I did outside in my small field sketchbook. As it says on the bottom of the drawing, I wore thick, thermal work gloves while drawing, a difficult task! And I used a new pen I’ve not tried yet, “Tombow Brush Pen”, hard tip, I thought it would be better for making quick marks in the cold. I also bought the softer tip, which is in my field bag to experiment with also.
Painting at night from photo reference, using my new Van Gogh watercolors.
Above shows my Van Gogh watercolor set, the color chart I did of each paint and the sketch on my board. I always keep a small bit of watercolor paper for testing colors nearby.
First layer of watercolor.
I used a color called “Moonglow” by Daniel Smith. It’s a dull purple color I’ve used before for underpainting rocks and like experimenting with it.
Above shows more layers of watercolors to build up colors.
Adding gouache for the mosses.
Now that the watercolor layers are on I start to add gouache, which is opaque and is great for building up the texture of the moss. If you plan ahead, the gouache can really stand out nicely, especially on dark areas.
Finished study.
This is the study finished, I took this with my cell phone camera at night in regular lamp light, but the warm hue is pretty close to the original.
Scarlet Elfcup – Sarcoscypha austriaca, beautiful little red cups hiding in the grass.
Every year, since we’ve moved to our property in the Scottish Borders, I’ve spotted this tiny Scarlet Elfcup growing. It springs up in Autumn under the huge ancient Ash tree in our paddock, but so small I have to be careful not to step on it. I pick up a few sticks and place them to form a square around it, just to help me see it and not step on it.
A second Scarlet Elfcup!
This year I was lucky and found yet another little Scarlet Elfcup. I’m hoping it spreads more every year.
Mushroom growing on dead Hawthorn branch.
I don’t know what kind of mushroom this is on a fallen dead Hawthorn branch. You can see several stalks from others that broke off, they are quite small and delicate.
Underneath the tiny mushroom.
Here is a view from underneath the mushroom, showing the gills. I love the fine, soft looking white threads around it’s base, I’m not sure what they are.
The best Christmas present ever!
This was my favorite present from my husband this Christmas, over the new clothes, treats and bath powders etc, I was so excited about getting this book! Does that make me a ‘Nature Nerd’?
It’s full of clear illustrations.
The book is full of clear, well painted illustrations. The introduction is full of clear diagrams and information about fungi in general and it’s a great place to study to learn more about them. Though the book is well illustrated, I still find it very difficult to positively identify each mushroom I find. I belong to a group or two on Facebook for mushroom and fungi identification in the UK, I don’t know what I’d do without them!
Gorgeous lichens on fallen branch.
This is a branch I picked up under the old Ash tree, covered with lichens. I’m learning more about lichens as they really are fascinating and beautiful, BUT I admit it’s super hard to identify different ones unless I share it on the Facebook lichens group where the experts can tell me what it is! I know there are different groups of lichens like Foliose, Crustose and Fruticose. I should’ve shared these pictures on the Facebook group to find out what kind these were, I will sometime. But as an artist the first thing I’m drawn to are the colors, the textures and form. I’m just fascinated as I look closer, at all the little cups and branches!
I mean look at all the tiny little round ‘plates’ on this lichen and then the difference in their colors. The I love the limey green yellow color of the crusty one and the pale mint green of the branched foliose one. If I do some painting studies of lichens then I’ll find out the names of them too and share them. I bought a book on Lichens by Frank S. Dobson, but really it’s still waaaay over my head! I never knew there were so many kinds.
Well I guess that’s enough pictures and talk about mushrooms and lichens! Even though I don’t post updates a lot, I am working very hard on finishing up the first draft of my first Children’s Book. It’s all new to me so it’s taking much longer than it probably should! I’m also messing around with updating and changing things on my website and adding a proper shop, but these things take time when you do it all yourself. It’s frustrating when all I want to do is paint and admittedly work in the garden!
Please leave comments or ask questions, I love reading the comments from all over the world.
This is a very short post just to share a quick pencil study I did on March 2, 2023. We were out driving and Gary pulled up for a bit so he could go talk to a farmer and I stayed in the car where it was warm! Since he took longer than expected I got out my sketch pad, water soluble pencil and waterbrush then did this very quick study. The sky was stormy and dark in the distance and it was windy. Those are very old Hawthorn trees that look like they used to be part of an old hedgerow.
This is the Old Castleton Farm located in the Scottish Borders not far from Newcastleton. There used to be a village called Old Castleton located here, you can still see the areas where the buildings were, but the whole village was moved to what is now Newcastleton. This sadly happened as a result of the land clearances in the 1790’s when people were forced to move from their homes! Here’s a link to Wikipedia with a bit more information about this area.
“Old Castleton Farm in Winter”. Water soluble pencil.
It’s great to use a dark water soluble pencil in winter for quick studies in the field, and keep your sketchpad small.
View of Old Castleton Farm
This is how it looked to me from the car, but it was a bit darker in the sky. You can see how far away the trees were so I just sketched what I saw and kept it simple. It’s good practice to catch sketches anywhere you can, that’s why I had my small field bag with me, ‘just in case’!
When the weather is nicer we’re going to go and explore the old ruins and area where the village was.
On January 16, 2023, I spent time just wandering around the garden, taking pictures of the snow on all the dead stems of weeds, flowers and grasses. I had my very small field kit bag with me, determined to do some kind of sketch.
My husband took some pictures of me, showing how bundled up I was! Two hats on my head, my dad’s old Woolrich hunting coat and thick mittens! I ended up standing in the back of the garden and did a small sketch in my little sketchbook. When it’s cold outside I like to use a small sketchbook so it forces me to keep it simple and quick.
Above you can see my little homemade sketchbook, it’s small enough I can also tuck it in my coat pocket. I used a permanent ink pen to do the drawing outside and then took my frozen fingers inside and used watercolor pencils to color it. I looked at a photo I took with my cell phone for reference to help me finish it. You can see the waterbrush I used too. You’ll notice my pencils are all short; I cut them all in half and carry them in a little pouch for taking into the field. Reducing weight is always key to me.
There is my little sketch finished and you can see the pencils tucked into the little pouch I made for them.
“Scottish Cottage and Snowy Fell”, watercolor pencil, ink
I’m happy with how that came out. In my photo you could see our oil tank on the left, I just left it out, artists choice! I tried to simplify by leaving out little things laying around, pots in the garden etc. I had fun playing with the purples in the shadows of the greenery.
I hope you enjoyed this little study, and encourage you to keep sketching. Small quick studies from life, not photos, are good practice and it helps keep your ‘eye’ trained.
We had about two inches of snow last night, everything is covered in a soft white blanket. All our flowers that were finally coming up are now covered but at least the daffodils haven’t bloomed yet.
Above is the Hawthorn I painted not long ago, and I’ll be putting a post up about that soon. I’m following fox tracks in the snow and they led here, then it jumped up on the wall and walked behind the tree! I love following tracks in snow to see what story it tells, guessing at what happened in the night.
The tracks led here also, where a fox jumped and hopefully got a vole! I did a Youtube video talking about it and will link it at the end. The grass clump above is what I decided to draw.
Here’s my little field watercolor palette, holding it in one hand with my fat mittens on!
It’s hard to take pictures while holding things!
I was trying to show how I hold the sketchbook against me and the palette, both in the same hand. I used to have a small hard panel that I would clip them to, I’ll have to revisit that idea! Kind of like a clipboard but skinnier.
Here’s my field kit I used today, it’s a small one. I stepped into the wood shed a minute so I could put things down to take a picture and video tape.
“Grasses in the Snow”, watercolor and ink
My finished little study, I like how it came out. I put together a short Youtube video about doing this sketch and I show my field kit. Find it RIGHT HERE, give me a like and leave a comment if you can!
I’ll be sharing another post soon, about the Hawthorn tree and Mossy Wall, with lots of stages of painting to see. I’m also saving my pennies (pence?) to buy a new printer so I can get back to offering prints and note cards, stay tuned!!
It’s been such a long time since I posted here on my blog. We’ve all been through quite a lot the past two years haven’t we? Well to add to my stress and at the same time happiness, we’ve moved from England to the Scottish Borders! Moving during a pandemic when they kept closing the borders was so stressful, but we’re moved now and getting settled in.
This is one of the first paintings I did at our new place, while standing in our back garden looking at the hills and sky. It’s a very small watercolor and I wrote the names of birds I could hear at the bottom while I painted.
We are still discovering just how beautiful our new area is, the Borders are wild and quiet, just what we like. The whole process of moving and settling in and creating new garden beds has and continues to, take lots of my time.
I unpacked paintings I hadn’t seen since I moved to England, has it been 6 years? More? They are like old familiar friends, and now many are hanging up where I can see them.
I will be focusing on getting a new printer set up and organizing proper selling of my prints and originals from my website. I’ve never had the chance to really do it right! Now I also have the fun little needle felted characters which I look forward to making available to buy soon.
Some new friends! I love creating these one of a kind characters, totally posable and unique!
I have a YouTube channel that has been sitting waiting also, so lately I’ve been adding videos so I can get back into it. Now with the house, gardens, new studio set up, new lands to explore, I’ll have lots to share there! Please go look, “Like” and hopefully “Subscribe” to follow my endeavours! Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnrD9rYXZ6KWYeDRElAvGyw I’ll get better at it as I go, I’m learning a new video editor called “ShotCut”.
Here I’m sketching along the river near our house, just up the valley. I need to get out to do this more often, the garden has been keeping us both busy!
I have really missed sharing here and can’t wait to get back to it. I have lots of new artwork to add to the Gallery too. What’s been holding me back in many areas is just figuring out how I want to redesign my website Galleries. I’m also having trouble receiving email notifications when someone leaves a comment! I need to find help for that issue with Word Press.
Finally I got my watercolors and color pencils set out, here I am working on an illustration for my new granddaughter, I’ll share more about that later!
So, has anyone missed me? What have you kept busy with during this pandemic and are you OK? I miss talking to the great people who leave comments for me here, you always inspire me to keep creating!
I’ll share some pictures below of our area and some more studies.
Sketching “Rubers Law” from the top of “Bonchester HIll”, and boy was it windy and cold! Very hard to draw, but look at that view!
This is a small unfinished gouache study of our back garden and byre (barn).
One of my illustration studies, I love the ‘old style’ like this and find drawing bugs really fun!
On a cold day, the sun is lighting up the hills far to the west. This is looking over our garden in the front where we are creating a small orchard.
There’s also new wildlife to discover here, this is a Green Hairstreak butterfly, with metallic green wings! It flew up out of nowhere when I was by the byre and settled on the Honesty I had planted. I was so excited!
Well that’s all for now, so much to share! Please don’t be shy, leave me a comment and I’ll check back here to reply to all. I hope you’re all keeping well, see you soon with another post or YouTube video!
Hello my dear friends, did you miss me? Well life has just gotten so busy and time went right out the window, I’m sorry about that and feel guilty for neglecting my blog. But here I am to add something new and hopefully start sharing more too.
Have you heard of Inktober? It’s an artist’s self initiative to produce work for the month of October and all has to be ink. I’ve always wanted to do the self challenge because I love drawing with ink, but shied away because of the pressure to produce and being busy. Well I’ve decided (as we all should) to do it in my way, I’ll do some as I can and that’s good for me! haha.
So recently we had a surprise visitor, a tiny frog that came hopping out of my studio, all the way at the back of the house! Now I know this post is about toads but we’ll get to that shortly! We’re not sure if he came in when Gary had the door open to feed the hedgehogs or what but he needed to go outside. This summer I made up a little pond using a ‘tubtrug’ shallow plastic tub, filled with water, rocks and sticks and a tiny solar pump that squirts a bit of water to make some movement.
This is the little pond I made from a shallow plastic tub.
I’ll tell you what the birds have been loving it, the pheasants drink right at the sides and little birds land on the various pieces of old slate or the sticks to drink. I was excited to watch both the Robin and Blackbird take really good baths in it, splashing all around, it was great! The little water pump just makes a little ‘blurp’ or water repeatedly or when the sun is really bright it flows like a little drinking fountain; it’s supposed to be just enough to get the birds attention and keep the water circulating a bit.
Such a tiny frog, what was he doing in my studio?
So back to the frog, we took him outside (it was night-time) and put him in the pond and watched until I was sure he could also get out. You see even a frog can drown if it can’t get out of a tub type thing so be careful when you put water in containers outside. He did just as I expected and kept swimming around and around to the sides, which were too high for him. The way the rocks were situated he could easily have climbed on them and got out, but he had a one track mind to go around the edges. So I arranged some sticks and weeds at the edge so he had lots to grab onto at the rim, and he duly obliged by climbing up then out. Great, now I know if one goes in it can also get out.
Baby frog hopping away in the wet grass.
So on the way back into the house I stopped Gary just before he stepped on a little toad in the dark! This is a real wildlife night! So we took him to the pond, just so he would know about it, I took lots of photos then he got down in the long grass between some pots and it was goodbye! That’s him below, we shone two torches (flashlights) on him for the picture, it worked great.
Then another day I was in my back garden planting strawberry runner babies and I looked down and there is a decorative ceramic pot full of rainwater was a little toad, swimming and desperately trying to get out! Poor thing, I scooped him right out and took him to the pond area too, took some pictures and he warmed himself in the sun awhile before leaving.
Little toad had a nice dip then soaked in some sun before leaving.
So now you’ve patiently waited to hear how Inktober fits in here and to see some artwork! I’ll show you the two drawings I did and some of the stages as I worked, I took a few pictures with my cell phone. (By the way, I share a lot of pictures like this on my Instagram account “Mary McAndrew Artist” and on my Facebook page “Mary McAndrew Painting and Illustration”, you can easily follow me on those and see lots of photos as I draw, paint or see things outside in the garden or from walks.)
Toad #1 showing my pencil drawing and the start of the inking.
I want practice using my dip nibs and ink so that’s what I used here. The ink was a bit old so I struggled a bit until I added enough water to thin it again; I used Rapidograph waterproof ink.
Here I’ve gotten more of his bumps on.
You can see on this second picture I’ve put a bit of a light wash of ink, using a brush and water, down his arm, face and side.
Toad #1 finished
You can see I added more washes to the toad, finished his ‘bumps’ (I hate calling them warts, it’s not nice for the toads image!) and put some tone under him to set him off. I also used a white gel pen to put tiny dots on the bumps where needed.
Toad #2 at the drawing stage.
You can see in my drawing above of Toad #2 how I used simple ovals to place his feet and leg parts. I sketched simple ovals and circles to get him basically laid out and then could correct the proportions of him before adding details.
The drawing stage basically done.
Above you can see the drawing stage is done, toes are all on but not every bump.
I started adding the ink with a dip nib.
I’ve started adding the ink now with a dip nib, but this time I am using Higgins “Black Magic” ink. It said it’s waterproof but later I find this wasn’t totally true!
Then there’s always a chance of ink spots!
Ah yes, things were going ok but I was struggling with old ink with clumps, adding water and trying to wipe off my nib when needed. Somehow in all this I did manage to drip ink on the drawing, argh! I wasn’t too upset because this is just a study and I’m trying to be a bit loose with it.
I did some ink washes on the body to show form.
I found the ink was not so waterproof when I tried to do washes with a small brush, I had to pick up disturbed ink with a paper towel. So I was able to carefully go over areas with just a damp brush to get the ink to lift and make a wash. You can see I also start to add some black around his back foot, leg and front foot. I really like digging in with darks around subjects to set them off, you’ll see it works to my advantage next.
More ink around him done with the brush, ink and water for diluting. See how that big ink spot is getting covered?
Toad #2 finished!
Here he is finished, I layered the ink in and got nice and dark around his body; I like the way it makes him look like he’s coming out of the ground. I edited out the other sketch of a toads head on the paper, just for the final scan. The spot that was on his leg I was able to lift pretty much with water and paper towel. I added white gel pen to his bumps where it was shiny on the photo and finished adding his tiny bumps. Did you know each toad has different bumps? When I compare the two toads they looked so alike, but when you look close you can tell which was which by where their bumps were.
The color photo of this very gorgeous toad!
Above is the photo I worked from, I had to flip the photo to draw him facing a to the right. The photo and drawing also look a bit different because my drawing of him is turned a bit so he’s pointing up more, I liked it better that way. I wanted to share with you his gorgeous colors too and show you how lots of his bumps were a deep sandstone red, like jewels on the ground. It’s all about texture with a toad, that must be why I like drawing them!
I hope you enjoyed this post, as I said it’s been an awfully long time I’ve been away from it and will en-devour to share more soon! Please find me on Instagram at “Mary McAndrew Artist” and Facebook business page is “Mary McAndrew Painting and Illustration”. Please leave me some comments below about toads in your area, are they getting ready to hibernate?
(This post was written on November 19th, 2016, but I never got to post it. Since we’re at that time of year again I guess it’s ok to share it now, better late than never!)
It’s the time of year for mushrooms! Whether you like to forage to eat (not me) or just admire (me), they are popping up everywhere. Now that we’ve had some rains and the ground is getting cold and soggy…I’m seeing them so much more.
Huge old Sycamore (Maple) I admire.
At the top of the lane I like to walk up most days, there’s an especially old huge Sycamore tree I admire. At it’s base are what I think are three different kinds of mushrooms. I tried to go up to draw them the other day but got side tracked with the Brown Trout painting adventure. So this time I went right to them and found a good seat on one of the huge roots.
Drawing with mittens on!
It was really cold just sitting there so I had to do the entire drawing wearing my mittens! I think I did pretty well with that in mind. Also to save time I did not do a pencil sketch first but drew directly with the permanent ink pen. That went ok too!
Look at all these lovely mushrooms!
I love this new (to me) type of mushroom, I like imagining how the top split apart as it grew and expanded, kind of like how the continents split apart a long time ago! Each crispy looking brown shell part tops a bit of the mushroom flesh, making a great three dimensional subject to study.
Side view of one mushroom.
Above shows the side view of one mushroom, you can really see the texture on it’s cap and see it’s ring around the stem like a little collar!
Below you can see how I progressed along, feet getting colder all the time.
My drawing is getting there, just one more mushroom!
I was definitely feeling the cold chill by now, but I really wanted to add one more mushroom behind these.
Mushrooms, brown permanent ink
This is how far I got in the field, I got that last mushroom in! Now when I have time, I’ll add some more details of leaves and grasses…digging into the dark areas a bit. Then I’d really like to add the reddish brown color of the mushrooms using watercolor. We’ll see if I get that far.
Beautiful, I’m guessing at “Shaggy pholiota?
Above is a picture of another mushroom cluster growing under that tree, I’m guessing it’s “Shaggy pholiota” (totally guessing from my small field guide!). It was so wonderful looking in it’s neat little cluster that dispite being very chilled to the bone, I decided to do a quick pencil sketch.
Very quick pencil sketch of mushrooms.
This also was done wearing mittens, it was really hard to do like that and to be very cold at the same time! But maybe I can find time to do up a little watercolor study with it? I loved the texture of these mushrooms, shaggy on top and stem.
Here you can see them growing in the root area.
Here’s a picture of the cluster growing in the root area, and I believe those on the root below it are more mature individuals.
A bright “Yellow Brain Fungus”, (Tremella mesenterica)
This Yellow Brain Fungus I found growing on a stick broken off of the tree. The branch was heavily damp and covered with lichens and dead leaves. When I turned the stick to look at all it’s sides, the fungus flopped about a bit; it was so cool! I laid it back down on the ground, hoping to observe it each time I come back.
Do you see any mushrooms growing where you live? Post me a comment about them and where you are located, you don’t have to know what kind they are, I usually don’t know them either!
I love really old trees. Living here in England I am rich with so many of these wonderful trees. This tree is one that lives at the corner of Edlingham Castle, growing upon what looks like a very old part of the castle. I think some many years ago when the castle was left to ruin, a sapling must have grow up there. The oldest part of the castle was built in the 1300’s and saw many changes over time. I wonder what might be concealed in the rocks all tightly held by this tree’s massive roots? You never know! One thing I know it does have is a geocache that someone hid there, it’s been there years! (oops was I supposed to keep that a secret? 😉 )
My drawing of the tree done in ink and wax crayon.
As I approached the tree, on this sunny May morning, I found a spot in front of it and just plopped down in the grass. I liked the form of the ‘scar’ where a huge limb must have been years ago, I think it was cut off because the area of the cut is so flat. I first sketched it in with an permanent ink pen then used a grey wax crayon to shade in medium values. I like how the two mediums worked together, and they’re easy to carry about in your pocket.
This shows the tree in relation to the castle.
That’s the tree on the left (above), you can see how large it is!
Another view of the castle and the tree on the right, taken in December.
This view of the castle I took in December, on a cold grey day, standing near Edlingham burn.
I hope you enjoyed this brief look at Edlingham Castle and it’s old Ash tree! Please leave me a comment below, love to hear if you have any special old trees in your neighborhood!
This is the White Ermine Moth that came to visit the other night.
This is the White Ermine Moth (Spilosoma lubricepeda) that came to visit us here in Northumberland the other night. What is it about moths that gets my interest so much? There are so many kinds, they hold their wings in different ways and seem to ‘sneak’ into the house and surprise you. This moth has a wonderful ‘Ermine’ fur coat and furry legs. He has long slender antennae with delicate fringe and speckles on it’s wings that are different on every single moth!
Sketching the moth in my little field sketchbook.
I made a simple holding container for when I catch interesting bugs and want to study or draw them. This is just a plastic container from Wilko, I cut a rectangle in the lid and taped some mesh over to cover it. I had a better container before I moved to England made from a clear plastic container, but like so many things I had to leave it behind, so this one will do for now.
Ink studies of White Ermine Moth
First I sketched the moth in pencil, then used permanent ink and erased the lines. I know it would look nice if I did an ink wash around the moth so it will really show how white it is, but this is just a brief study. I feel I have no time for lengthy studies lately! I think when I have some time I’ll go back and put a watercolor wash around the three studies to make them stand out white.
The underside of the White Ermine Moth
This shows the underside of the moth, his little furry black ‘face’ and neat rows of ‘buttons’ down his front! It’s things like that that inspire me to think of drawing little characters! One of these days I’ll make a better container, a jar is also very good to use.
The way he holds his front legs and the ‘fur’ on them and his body reminds me of the beautiful moth I discovered back in NY. Here’s the post I did about it: http://marymcandrew.com/beautiful-wood-nymph-moth-june-2011/ I hope you take a look, it really was a ‘beautiful’ moth!
Click this link to see some really great photos of other White Ermine Moths: https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/spilosoma-lubricipeda/ It was this website that helped me to get a positive ID on my moth, but I would have had much trouble doing it if I didn’t already know that it was an Ermine Moth.
In the morning I like to get out for a quick, short walk before I eat my porridge. Sometimes I wander down to Edlingham Castle and the view I sketched above was the view of the church (St. John the Baptist) as you return up the path. I love the way a fenceline can add an elegant curve and show perspective, even when just indicated by little lines like toothpicks.
These are the notes I put on the back of the drawing.
This particular sketchbook is very small, so it’s easy to hold and carry in my pocket. So for the small size I was happy with how the composition turned out.
St. John the Baptist Church from the castle.
This is the church as you approach from the castle. You can see the Butterbur is growing so tall, it loves growing there by the wall!
Here’s a nice view of the church, St. John the Baptist.
Here’s a view of St. John the Baptist Church from July 2015.
The most up to date information about my artwork, nature sketching adventures, or step by step demonstrations. Search using Categories or Tags, or use the search box in the left column.
Please sign up below to get notified when I post new articles.
