Natural canvas Workshop

I went on a walk to pick up various leaves, bark, seedpods, and other interesting natural elements to paint. I made up a colour palette based on the colours created by natural dyes and then started to paint onto the leaves and other objects. For most of the natural forms, I painted patterns inspired by markings that insects have to ward off predators or warn other animals of their toxicity. I used bold mark-making and bright colours to convey this and made some of the patterns symmetric. For a few of the leaves, I used fungi as inspiration, using more delicate brushstrokes to draw spore prints and the underside of mushrooms. I love the outcomes from this workshop, and I think all the objects work well together and look like part of a collection. I can see the photographs I have taken being made into really effective digital prints or hand-drawn patterns.

I did a small experiment painting the outside of a mushroom to mimic the inside. The painted mushroom itself was not a success, but when I placed it onto a piece of paper, it created a pattern similar to the spore prints I had done, so I used the mushroom as a stamp, and I think the outcome is really cool.