Peonies

© Sybille Sterk 

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

© Sybille Sterk 

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

Close-up pictures of a  peony. I love peonies and these were scented too.

All other images/textures/brushes my own or bought. Edited with Photoshop.

All my images are available on Redbubble, Artflakes, Society6 and Bluecanvas as prints, cards, posters, skins for laptops, Blackberry, iPhones and other phones (for the skins go to Bluecanvas). You can now also get most of my images on cushion covers (go to Society6 for these).

On Society6 here and here

Herb Robert

© Sybille Sterk

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

Some photography from last week. This is Herb Robert, a cousin of the geranium and ever so pretty even though it's a weed. :-) I've added some colour adjustments and a very subtle texture. The left image is a close-up of the leaf the right image is of the leftovers from the flowers.

All images/textures/brushes my own or bought. Edited with Photoshop.

All my images are available on Redbubble, Artflakes, Society6and Bluecanvas as prints, cards, posters, skins for laptops, Blackberry, iPhones and other phones (for the skins go to Bluecanvas). You can now also get most of my images on cushion covers (go to Society6 for these).

Snowdrops

© Sybille Sterk

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

 Taken a few weeks back, I just never got round to posting the image. I love snowdrops, like cherryblossom and magnolia they're heralds of spring. These were wild in the middle of the woods.

All images/textures/brushes my own or bought. Edited with Photoshop.

All my images are available on Redbubble, Artflakes, Society6 and Bluecanvas as prints, cards, posters, skins for laptops, Blackberry, iPhones and other phones (for the skins go to Bluecanvas). You can now also get most of my images on cushion covers (go to Society6 for these).

All available on Society6

Seed Pods Triptych

© Sybille Sterk

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

A triptych of my seed pod images. The perfect present for an avid gardener. The images were taken with a macro lens and edited mostly with colour adjustments to achieve this effect.

All images/textures/brushes my own or bought. Edited with Photoshop.

All my images are available on Redbubble, Artflakes, Society6 and Bluecanvas as prints, cards, posters, skins for laptops, Blackberry, iPhones and other phones (for the skins go to Bluecanvas). You can now also get most of my images on cushion covers (go to Society6 for these).

Fake Tomatoes

... not really. This is just what my son called them when he first saw them. LOL They are in fact lily seed pods. I love their vibrant colour, like bright orange pea pods. :-) They're quite big too, the seeds are as big as marrow fat peas and the pods are between 2.5 and 3".

Seed Pods I

© Sybille Sterk Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

 Seed Pods II

© Sybille Sterk Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

 Seed Pods III

© Sybille Sterk Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

All my images are available on Redbubble, Artflakes, Society6 and Bluecanvas as prints, cards, posters, skins for laptops, Blackberry, iPhones and other phones (for the skins go to Bluecanvas). You can now also get most of my images on cushion covers (go to Society6 for these).

Ivy - Autumn

© Sybille Sterk

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

Pictures of ivy taken yesterday at Byron's Pool in Cambridgeshire. I love the beautiful heartshape of ivy, and although this part of the ivy was dried rather than juicy and green I loved the copper colour against the rough bark.

All images/textures/brushes my own or bought. Edited with Photoshop.

All my images are available on Redbubble, Artflakes, Society6 and Bluecanvas as prints, cards, posters, skins for laptops, Blackberry, iPhones and other phones (for the skins go to Bluecanvas).

Bird of Paradise: Home Page Feature on Redbubble

My Bird of Paradise picture was selected to feature on the Redbubble Home Page - apparently only 3 out of a 1000 images submitted make it onto the Home Page. Yay!

You can read all about my Botanica series here on this blog.

My Botanica images are also available as prints on Redbubble and as tote bags and cushion covers on Envelop.eu - just click here to go to the shop.

Seasons of a Hydrangea

I love the hydrangea in my garden - the bright pink against the green of the leaves is wonderful, but I also love it in Winter when all the blossoms have dried on the stems. So here's my hydrangea through the seasons.

MCN: C47TB-7VU62-NPY59

All images and textures my own.

Photoshop action (freebie) from Apples & Sisters

Print available on RB

One of my hydrangea images of the dried blossoms

MCN: C1PUW-S8XVC-N6A52

Image and textures my own.

Print available on RB

New Collections - Botanica

Botanica

(Exotic blooms on a dark chocolate brown background)

 

Available from 15th July 2010.

Spring Splendour - Magnolia and Cherry Blossom

A couple of weeks ago I took some more photos of the Spring Splendour all around me. I have a thing about cherry blossoms and magnolias, so here are more pictures.


Cherry Blossom

Both images were edited with filters and all sorts of clever stuff to create the different painterly effects.



Magnolias

The following pictures were only edited to enhance the subject rather than change it.


More images of crafted things to follow soon... I've just finished and posted a commission and I am working on the next commission....

Dandelion Necklace

Finally managed to finish this. I started it the weekend before last but never had the time to work on it, because I was so busy with the illustrations.

Unfortunately it was a bit dark by the time it came out of it's bath in Liver of Sulphur so the pictures aren't as good as I'd hoped.

Dandelion Necklace

It so so pretty in real life and the pictures don't do it justice. :-( I've started with a wire shape that I pierced, filed, sanded, brushed, and polished.

I then added all the tiny beads on their stalks: Japanese seed beads in a lovely olive green with coppery mottling, teeny Japanese seed bead in a sunny yellow, moonstone and sapphire rondelles - the sapphires are not blue but a very pale lime and olive colour - using two different gauges of brass wire. There is no solder to attach them, the design holds them in place.



The pendant was so pretty and delicate that I decided a shop bought chain just wouldn't do it justice, so I made my own.


Here is the chain made from tiny little links with three of the green mottled seed beads each, a handmade clasp and a dangle with a lovely lemony-lime prehnite at the end.




The final step was a long soak in Liver of Sulphur which turned the brass from a brassy gold into a deep green with hints of other colours - there are bits of red and purple. The necklace looks so organic it has the feel of something made with vines and berries.

In the very close close-up you can see the mottling on the green beads and the moonstone and sapphires.


Although I really love this necklace, it will be available to buy in my Etsy shop VERY soon, unless you snap it up before I list it. :-)

I am thinking of making some matching earrings, a bracelet and a ring for it. However, not today. Today I am going to play with my new wool - silk covered steel... :-)

Bird of Paradise

The last of the flower pictures, phew!

Today I've been listening to:

More Duffy, Kate Nash, The Fray, Scouting for Girls - examples of all available on YouTube.com

Latest Re-Drawing

Here's the latest of the images I needed to re-draw.


Butterfly Orchid