The "Moon Girl" painting/collage started with an idea I had for producing a cloud effect. As this idea wouldn't have worked with my usual watercolour style I had a go at producing a collage.

To make the clouds I scanned the cream patterned fabric and then printed it onto a thick cotton paper. I suggested the cloud shapes by over painting parts of the scanned pattern with a dilute mixture of acrylic cobalt blue and a little white. I cut out the shape of the outer edge of the clouds using a scalpel (I knew that it would come in handy someday) and then bonded the cut-out onto the canvas board with strong glue.

I suggested the tree and abstract hill in watercolour and added some acrylic gold and renaissance gold swirls (the sparkly gold doesn't show up too well in this scan).

I painted the Moon girl figure in acrylic and watercolour.    

• Materials - Acrylics, watercolour, ink, canvas board, cotton paper
• Painting size -  10" x 8"

I started this painting with the intention of calling it "Rose and Thorn" but as she doesn't look all that menacing I settled on just "Rose" instead . Anyways beware of prickly women bearing flowers.

Painting Details

• Original Painting
• Paper, Saunders Waterford 200lb
• Painting Size approx. 57cm by 39cm/22.5in by 15.5in
• Painted in watercolour

There's not much difference compared to the last sample but this is the completed watercolour including the painted leaves. It took me most of the day to paint the border. After the first three or four leaves it bacame tiring and repetitve but worth it as I think that the border does improve the picture. I slightly altered the eyes too. She was a little cross eyed.

The ‘Wood Spirit' is trying to help restore the balance of nature by encouraging new growth. She's not too happy about the felled tree and the fact that her undertaking is becoming an increasingly difficult task but she is determined. I wanted this to be evident in her intense expression and piercing stare.

The leaf border isn't painted on (yet). I wasn't sure whether or not painting on the Ivy would add anything so I did a mock-up with real leaves and superimposed them onto the painting scan. I think the Ivy border helps frame the wood spirit and also adds more of a forest feel. When I get the chance I'll paint the border on.

Painting Details

• Original Painting
• Paper, Saunders Waterford 200lb
• Painting Size approx. 55cm by 37cm/21.5in by 14.5in
• Painted in watercolour

I intended my next painting to be a darker, gothic style picture but I've been inspired by our late spring to paint something greener. The colour theme in this painting was also partly inspired by the renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli's ‘Birth of Venus'. I don't know whether it's the result of centuries of ageing but I love the subtle washed out blues and greens in that painting and thought that similar colouring would work well on a hazy/dreamy forest background. I wanted the curves of light emanating from the fairies hands to represent or signify light and growth. Perhaps she's a Spring Fairy 'kick-starting' spring. If so, we need her around here - its mid April and I woke up this morning to snow!

Painting Details

• Original Painting
• Paper, Saunders Waterford 200lb
• Painting Size approx. 51cm by 41cm/20in by 16in
• Painted in watercolour with a little watercolour pencil