Spring Fever

What I forgot to mention yesterday was that before I started the 3 trees drawing, I had worked for weeks on another drawing of the stunning Ariundle Oakwoods.

Frustrated by my lack of success I added a little colour...

But as you see it still wasn't up to much. 

Remember that watercolour I told you I had rejected last year?  That was of the Ariundle Oakwoods too.  I actually quite liked it so I was disappointed when it didn't get accepted for the exhibition I'd entered it in.  (Sorry about the reflections, I couldn't find a photograph of it unframed so I took this one quickly this morning).

The problem with my pen and ink work is that they just take so bloody long to do.  The time these pieces gobble up is both the bane and the pleasure of their creation.  If you spend months on something that ends up failing it really does feel like a BIG DEAL.

So going back to the 3 trees piece I posted yesterday.  I decided that the trees were dissolving into the water.  I tried bringing them forward with ink and watercolour, but that didn't work.  Then I hit on the great idea of staining the running water with brown acrylic ink.

Mmm.

And I can't go back from this.  Problem.