I picked this green ivy leaf one day and added the drawing to my square book. It was the curling stem and the patterns of the veins that I wanted to capture. We have ivy growing on the walls in our garden and it attracts birds and insects alike. I like to cut long strands to decorate the house at Christmas, we have done this all my life. When it has rained we get soaked as we brush past it on the path to our house but it has so many advantages. We had a Blackbirds nest amongst it and the birds love it. It seems to attract Moths and bees, spiders build their webs in it and the snails hide amongst it.
The other thing I love is the way the leaves age into these beautiful skeletons. They look like the most delicate pieces of lace, nature does it better than us.
My brown leaf is in pencil and Derwent artist coloured pencils, the green one is in acrylic inks. Hope you like them.
14 comments:
Oh I do like them, both, they are each wonderful in different ways. The shadow is captured so well!
I am just thinking of buying a set of colored pencils. Is it Derwent that you would suggest?
Skeleton leaves really are beautiful as is your painting of one... I love the shadow on the green leaf, especially at the tip with the tiny holes showing in the leaf and shadow - makes me want to pick it up off the page!
Both are gorgeous! I especially love the skeleton one. So delicate!
Beautiful work, an absolute pleasure to view
Such lovely, graceful drawings. You have captured these two phases of the ivy leaf so perfectly--and I agree with all about the elegant shadow. Thank you!
Beautiful leaves, as always, from you, Milly.
I remember my father telling me about how ivy (or at least the Virginia version) would wind its way around trees, and that the trees would eventually suffer.
He also told me about how "mature" ivy would sort of transmute itself (Dr Who land here...) into another version of itself.
I am now cut off from this appreciation of the value of being able to clock the evolution of particular plantings on home turf. Have you seen this sort of tranformation of mature ivy into another form (possibly little flowers?, but my memory is very imperfect.)
Oops, almost forgot to tell you how much I like these pictures you've posted. xo
No wonder you wanted to capture that curly-stemmed ivy leaf. Here at Pondside the deer always ate the ivy. I've noticed it growing, this year, along the wall now that we have a deer fence.
I like them both but the pencil drawing is my favourite,
you have captured every tiny vein.
I spent the weekend cutting back ivy, I love it but it will persist in growing up to the roof. I found an old wrens nest amidst the leaves, covered in spiders webs- very Milly!
Hola Milly :)
Both are so nice and delicate. You found the perfect word I couldn't find until I got to that passage of your post: lace. That's exactly how the leaf looks like. You've captured both really preciously. I love them. One for the detail in form, and the other for the lovely colors.
Warm regards,
Carolina
Both leaves are rendered beautifully, Milly. Leaf skeletons are wonderful - I love their delicacy. Lesley
Just found you this morning and relish what I see ...
I really like the lacework of that brown leaf.
old and new beautiful milly
I'm so glad to have found you- by way of an old country living magazine! Love your delicate work! ANd I came upon one of my fav. calligrapher/artist on your blog!
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