Thumbnails: The Flower Bed

Finally getting around to where I had left off with Tracy Verdugo’s Story Painting classes a few weeks ago! I was still on Chapter 2 but the final Lesson where I had left off as was busy with moving and getting the new house ready which is still ongoing. For this lesson, we begin jotting down our thoughts and inspirations with thumbnail illustrations on a sketchbook before deciding on which to use for the main painting. I got so into this exercise and ended up loving it! And thus wanted to share here.

It is a sweet story about me as a little girl crawling over the flower bed at a park and reaching out! I must have been two or three. Although I don’t remember it at all of course, I do have photographs of this kawaii moment. I’m with my neighbor friend just curious as to what could be these pretty things laying in the flower bed. And our mothers are happily overlooking and thinking how cute and adorable we are. Precious memories! To explain each frame:

The Individual Sketches

For this exercise, Strathmore’s Mixed Media sketchbook was used along with brown aquarelle pencil. I began by firstly practicing sketching a side view of my little self with scribbles around, that is trees and flowers. A great practice too with landscape sketching as we are in a park. Just me on my own in the beginning to see how I get with side views

Then there is mama watching me and smiling. I really miss her! Oh in each of the thumbnail appears a cat. A ginger tabby which has always been my favorite breed, although all cats are cute!

Then me and my neighbor friend. A little practice too drawing side views from the left and right. Also a practice sketching duplicate-looking characters which were our mothers. Great exercise for composition too!

And finally a little close up of just me and my friend playing with the flowers! Not too keen about the composition here as the subjects could have been positioned a bit lower with the cat drawn more to the left. Not to worry, good practice!

I quite enjoyed this exercise. Thumbnails are a great way to brainstorm your ideas on paper as well as being an experiment on what works best. Choosing which one for the painting was not easy but that doesn’t mean you can’t choose certain elements from the others. After deciding, I transferred the idea on a large paper. And you will soon see what I went for so watch this space!