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Book Update!
I’m very excited to announce that I’ll be teaming up with Loaghtan Books to publish my book on Native Isle of Man Flora. We’ve had some fantastic discussions on where my idea will go, so now I just need to keep drawing! It was important to me, to find a local publisher who loved the…
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Video how to…
You can now watch some of my process here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8BrfVHrOAI More videos to come as I get through the next few pages.
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Dandelion: weed or misunderstood?
I know dandelions are every gardeners least favourite lawn invader, but I can help but love to draw them. They’re also a very important species to Keep our lovely bees happy, along with many other insects.
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Thrift!
Thrift also known as sea thrift is a fabulous little plant that grows along the coastline. The pink flower heads have a mass of tiny flowers at the end of a long stalk which make them somewhat challenging to draw, but I’m really pleased with how my final composition came out. You’ll have to wait…
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Dog rose: work in progress
The latest on the drawing board is the dog rose. Which is a bit of a wild rambling plant which can vary quite considerably in colour. I found this specimen over near Jurby, but they are common throughout the island.
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Compositional Challenges
When many people start drawing, they pick a subject, turn it around a few times to pick an angle and then start drawing. One of the biggest challenges for the book is creating exciting and varied compositions for the many many pages I have to complete. My desk is currently strewn with layout paper and…
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Searching for Species
There are many challenges which come along with writing a book. Firstly there is research – finding suitable reliable and accurate sources for information on the plants. I’ve got a great book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flora-Isle-Man-D-Allen/dp/0901106232 I’ve got the agreed native tree list: https://www.mwt.im/news/manx-native-tree-list along with the great work on the ancient forests: https://www.mwt.im/terrestrial/ancient-woodland-inventoryAnd, lastly from Biosphere Isle…