Botanical And Fun! A while ago I was commissioned to illustrate tasting menu items for elements restaurant in Princeton, NJ. I was visiting their website the other day, spotted my paintings on there, and remembered what a great time I had with them. It was refreshing to delve into something a little more realistic than my usual subject matter. I stuck with my usual media (gouache on hot-press watercolor paper) but went for a clean, white background and tonal contour lines.
One of my favorite subjects was tropea onions (the purple ones below) because I could let the rough brush strokes just become the green tips. I fussed with and polished the bulbs, but when it came to the stalks it was loose and free. I would love to do more of this type of work — it hones my observational drawing skills.
