All You Need is a Blueberry!
Blue-black ink, watercolour and a collaged label — deep blueberry tones with a few tiny highlights.
One of my favourite mini projects so far this year on my courses with my students has been taking an everyday punnet of blueberries and using it as inspiration for a simple little still life.
Nothing more, nothing less: blueberries in their packet, captured in rich, intense colour.
For the colour, we used blue-black ink alongside dye-based watercolours, (you could use any water-based paints or inks you have to hand ie. watercolours, acrylics or gouache) layering and diluting them to create those deep blueberry tones and softer highlights. The blueberries were then given a little extra detail with a bullet point marker pen, picking out their shapes and contours.
We also brought some of the packaging into the painting. If you look closely, you'll see that the label is simply a photocopy of the actual packet label, collaged on and then worked back into with marker pen to bring it all together. A white acrylic marker added those tiny reflections and highlights; you can combine water with it before it's dry to dilute on the page.
A lovely little exercise in observation, colour and just going with the flow — and I think we definitely got the tastebuds tingling too!
Why not give it a go!!
Join one of Jenny's classes at The Colour Factory and try a mini still life of your own.
