Let's venture to England this time! This illustration captures a moment from spring 2022. As I was scrolling through Instagram, I stumbled upon an art challenge initiated by Jehane_ltd, titled jehanestwelvedays. While going through the prompts, an old memory resurfaced, and I felt compelled to follow its trail. Join me for an exclusive tour of this English garden...

The prompts for this challenge were :

- Kaleidoscope of Butterflies

- Proud Peacock

- Celebration Cakes

- A Victorian Greenhouse

- A Picnic Blanket

- English Flowers

- Cherry Blossom Trees

- Garden Birds

- Fanciful Topiary

- Union Jack Deckchair

- Party Bunting

- The Queen Bee

This illustration brought back memories of my childhood. We used to spend a week in the summer in the south of England, in Devonshire, visiting our parents' friends who owned a beautiful and typical farm there. Adjacent to the cottage, there was a delightful garden adorned with an abundance of flowers. My mother would often say, "You see, it’s a genuine English-style garden." I wanted to believe her, even though I had no clear concept of what characterized an English or French garden. Over time, I've gained more insight into the subject, and I must say that the allure of charming English gardens is truly irresistible 💚

In my mind, all these art prompts formed a cohesive garden, and I felt they should be brought together rather than drawn separately. So, I took on the challenge of illustrating them collectively to create a single portrayal of an English garden. Since my childhood memories are a bit hazy, and I have no photos of that beautiful place, I improvised. The result may be quite different from the original, but it remains faithful to the impression it left in my childhood memory.

MIXED MEDIA & TRYING NEW TOOLS

What an excellent opportunity to explore something new! I had just received these incredible gouache sticks (Yes! gouache in sticks) from Delgreen and was eager to put them to the test. This challenge provided the perfect occasion.

Given my fondness for art supplies, I decided to make the most of it 😄 resulting in:

- Ecoline liquid water colour for the background

- Talens Gouache paint (regular tubes) and Faber Castel Polychromos pencils for trees, flowers, leaves...

- Delgreen gouache sticks + gouache with thin brush + white Postca + colour pencils for the cherry blossoms

- Digital final touch on Procreate (perfect to enhance some details or to make the stains disappear when you accidentally drop your brush on the paper... 😰)

Want to see a step by step process line ?

You may have noticed all the prompts were not in... and you're correct, I skipped some of them on purpose because I felt they didn't quite align with the essence of this illustration.

MY MUST-HAVE LIST FOR A GREAT ENGLISH GARDEN ILLUSTRATION

1. Plenty of art supplies to use : the Key is to have FUN and fun comes by experimenting many different ways to create art. Each art supply brings a different effect. Make some prior tests in your sketchbook in order to see what unique effects can be achieved by combining them.

2. Diving into childhood memories is a fantastic source of inspiration. If memories are a bit hazy, a dive into Pinterest can be a great alternative. It's a treasure trove of stunning images of English gardens.

3. For those seeking prompts, Instagram is a goldmine for art challenges. However, if you can't find one that perfectly suits you, remember that adjustments can always be made. Feel free to swap a prompt for another or skip one if it feels overwhelming. The primary goal is to nurture your inspiration and create wonderful art, even if it means bending the rules a bit 😉.