On the Easel: Rococo
On this page, I discuss my current projects. Check back frequently; as I make significant progress, I add new snapshots.
A bluish-purple Rococo iris, started July 30, 2024
Page last updated on January 23, 2026
In-progress picture of my long-term iris project.
The Star of the Show
On the easel is my Rococo iris. This has become a long-term drawing, and it is time to finish it...
The Supporting Cast
The paper:
- Strathmore Toned Gray Mixed Media paper
- The finished drawing will be 15 in. x 18.5 in.
The pencils:
- Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle
- Caran d'Ache Supracolor II Soft
- Faber-Castell Albrecht Dūrer Watercolor Pencils
The Production Specifics
To be honest, I was shocked when I saw the start date of this piece. It was temporarily set aside in favor of completing other works (which turned out very well for Irish Coffee!!), but now that snow is falling it's time to think spring and get this piece finished!
Fortunately, I had notes of all the pencils I had been using; there are a lot of them. This particular shade of bluish-purple, the yellow of the iris's throat, plus the leaves and buds, mean that there are 55 pencils in active use (plus 20 additional "maybes" on standby) to realistically render all the colors as they play in sunlight and shadow. It's a fun but very time-consuming challenge… just the way I like it!
In the interval between starting this piece and now, I have learned how to utilize watercolour pencils with water - as they are designed to be used - and have modified my techniques to showcase the full spectrum of available colors. Many of them change dramatically when water is applied. I will not rewet a section more than once (it will compromise this paper) and the water-activated layer is always covered by dry pencil. Usually 3 but upwards of 5 layers of color are applied over the base layers to achieve the final image.