Once I had the drawing finished I went very steady with three reds, all of which you will know if you have ever used watercolour are very unforgiving. Cadmium Red, Quinacridone Red and Alizarin Crimson. I also use Cadmium Orange in places to try and break up the red hues. I used the Crimson toward the end to bring in the deeper tones which was scary as once that stuff is one it is not coming off!
Lastly I got the black head and legs with mixing ultramarine and burnt sienna. The shine on the wing cases I got by using white gouche, this is not something I have done before and after all that work was very scary!
Phew! I think I pulled it off!
My finished Ladybird design is available as a greetings card or art print.
Take a look at all the Bugs and Butterflies collection
Images © Daniel Mackie
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With the exception of artists, inventors, and teenagers - we humans are diurnal daytime creatures on the whole, and although it’s one thing to be out and about during the night in a street lit urban environment, it’s a very different scenario if you find yourself in, say… oh, I don’t know, a forest per se. Where, if you’re lucky, you may hear the unmistakable cry or hoot of an Owl: natures very own nocturne, a stark reminder of the unknown peril of night, and a creature that has featured heavily in myth and folklore throughout the ages.
Daniel Mackie
Author