Fearless Friday, Cactus with Mixed Media

the Painted Apron

7 years ago

A little fun with cactus today, with watercolor brush pens, ink, and colored pencil

This was the photo I used as a model

Cacti are one of my new passions this Spring,

I think they are fascinating and incredibly beautiful

I began with a simple line sketch with a waterproof .01 micron pen

You don’t have to include every single bump and petal,

just use your photo for a general reference

After the sketch was finished

I began adding color with a watercolor brush pen

I am still experimenting with my new Arteza watercolor brush pens, they go on fairly dry and are harder {for me} to blend than traditional watercolor, but I do like the control they offer and the wide range of colors in the set

I probably would have gotten better blends if I had wet my paper first,

but I was learning and experimenting

I feel like every painting is an experience of learning and experimenting,

Do you too?

For the cactus base I worked from light to dark

and for the cactus top I did mostly the opposite,

going from dark to light

The pink petals faded to very pale at the upmost petal tips

I used colored pencils, scrubbing in a circular motion with a blunt tip

to further blend the colors and and texture

I used the black micron pen and a white gel pen to add final details

“Desert Flower” 7″ x 12″ Mixed Media on Mixed Media paper

Here’s a step by step collage

Note: I have been drawing as long as I can remember and took many classes in college. The best and really only way to learn or improve your drawing is practice, practice, practice, and daily if possible!

You can read more about the importance of drawing here and here

Have fun, Be Fearless, and practice, practice, practice!

If you are a fellow cactus lover, you can find some fun and funky cactus items in my Society 6 shop here

My phone is currently sporting this Pink Cactus cover