Jacaranda

You can tell it’s jacaranda season where I live. After my last post featuring a street lined with these wonderful trees, here is the view of my neighbor’s jacaranda tree that I sat in my driveway and painted. I’m posting this photo alongside my sketch so you can see why I was so glad it was done from life and not a photo. The colors in the painting are what my eye could see. But under the glare of a summer sky, even an overcast one, my phone backlights the tree and hides that magical color.

Of course, there are a lot more reasons to paint outside: like enjoying sitting in the sun and capturing the shifting light and the breeze in the tree. Plus, I get to say hi to all the dogs that are out for a walk.

Here’s a better look at that tree, rendered in watercolor, pen & ink, gouache, colored pencil, and white china marker.