Roses are blooming in December in Mobile, Alabama!
The painting of the single rose, and bud was traced from a photo, with the focus on painting. Then I decided I needed to draw my rose. Shown here is a photo of the speciman, the photo placed in a grid sleeve, and an inked line drawing. To preserve my original sketch in the sketchbook, I scanned it and opened it in Adobe Classic Lightroom to heighten the contrast. Then the saved copy was printed, and the lines traced over with a Micron pen. The sketch is now ready to transfer to watercolor paper - 140 lb Hot Press Arches.
To make a "grid sleeve" I started with a presentation folder that had several clear page protectors.I put an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper with a 1 inch grid inside the page protector. Then with a "Sharpie" fine point, I drew the grid lines on the front of the page protector (I call them "sleeves"). A Micron Pen will not work on the plastic sleeve, but will smear. When the Sharpie ink dried, I sprayed the entire page with art fixative. To make a 'copy' of the photo in the sketchbook, I drew a 6" x 6" (i inch) grid and drew the rose. To help focus on the central object, I cut a 6" x 6" piece from cardstock to isolate the image. I also cut a 1" square from card stock to isolate each square. This was especially helpful for the complex center of the rose.
