Focus on Life: What's in Season?

What to choose? 

This week The participants in Sally Russick's Focus on life photography project received this prompt: In Season. Since it is summer in the northeastern U.S., there is a lot of produce in season. Also random things like butterflies, thunderstorms, and street fairs. 

I chose to focus on some berries growing down the road from my house. Someone obviously planted them, but nobody ever picks them! I have vowed to do just that, but the birds always beat me to it. 

These are the elderberries right after a huge storm that would have knocked them off their stems had it had struck a few days later!

A view of the storm waters!

I spent a good part of the next weekend trying to do justice to the juicy reddish purple of the berries. 

Colored Pencil

Watercolor Pencil

Watercolor Paint

I've been trying to do a sketch every day or so, I figure I can't miss improving my technique with practice. And it's so easy, now that so many things are "In Season!"

Check out the links below to see what others have done. 

Focus on : Making new art

...wherein I do the same scene three ways.

Sally Russick of Studio Sublime has challenged us to "Create Art." 

I took this opportunity to try my hand at watercolors for the first time in oh.... too many years. 

For a while, I have wanted to create art based on a sunrise or sunset. I have captured several sunrises with my camera, but that didn't quite portray the experience the way I wanted to. I wanted to show what was in my mind's eye, not the camera's eye. 

I played around with my photo.

But that was not quite what I wanted to do, I wanted to paint.

I tried colored pencil, because I couldn't find any watercolors. 

But I knew I had to do my final piece as a painting. Fortunately I knew I could borrow some watercolors from my daughter. 

But wait. Her watercolor set HAS NO BLACK!!!! 

Do you see my photo? Do you see my colored pencil sketch? 

After a bit of back and forth, I settled on using a dark blue instead of black. As I painted, I felt better and better about that choice. After all, I did not want a photographic representation. I wanted a painting!

In the end, I am pleased with my choice, and pleased with the medium. 

To see some of the other replies to this challenge, visit Sally's blog.