Colour and Connection

That Bright Spark of Life

My wild-hearted treasures,

It is time for your weekly dose of wildlife art fun!

Today we're exploring something a bit magical - how a touch of colour can add an extra spark of life to our wildlife sketches. You know those moments when you're working in graphite, and everything is coming together beautifully, but something whispers that maybe, just maybe, a hint of colour might make that eye sparkle even more? That colourful wing, sing? That fur extra floofy?

I love how art gives us so many ways to honour our wild kin. Just like there's no single way to be a bird (oh how I celebrate all each and all of the more than 11,000 bird species we share this beautiful space floating planet with!), there's no single way to create art that celebrates them. Sometimes graphite alone is perfect, sometimes we want all the colours, and sometimes... sometimes that sweet spot is right in between.

I am a big, BIG fan of using graphite and coloured pencil together. Of using coloured pencil to add some extra bling to a looser sketch too. Inside Hedgerow there are multiple tutorials using this technique. There are even more examples of this in some of my private sketchbooks. It really feels like magic to me - transformative. I mean, art making itself is magical of course, but a little, specially wonderous touch of colour? Even more so!

But first - fun fact. Did you know that birds actually see more colours than we do? They have an extra cone in their eyes that lets them see ultraviolet light! While we can't replicate their incredible colour vision (but not for lack of wanting to - wouldn't that be amazing?), we can let this knowledge inspire us to look more deeply, to notice the subtle shifts and changes in every feather.

Here's a little practice to help you see colour more deeply:

The Colour Wonder Practice:

1. Find a comfy spot where you can observe your wild subject (photo, video, or live if you're lucky!)

2. Take three deep breaths and settle in

3. For two minutes, focus only on colour - not shape, not movement, just colour

4. Notice how many different hues you can spot

5. Close your eyes and see if you can hold those colours in your mind

6. Only then pick up your pencils and begin

This isn't about creating a perfect colour match – it's about really seeing, about connecting with our subject through careful observation. It's about wonder and joy and the magic of discovery.

I've written more about this practice, including specific techniques for combining graphite and coloured pencil, over on my blog. And if you'd like some guidance through the process, come join me in creating a robin portrait where we explore this dance between graphite and colour together (the video is above ⬆️).

Remember, you are inherently creative and worthy of taking this time to connect with your wild heart through art. We need your unique voice, your way of seeing and celebrating the wild world.

Tell me, what's your favourite way to use colour in your wildlife art? Or if you haven't tried adding colour yet, what makes you curious about it?

Keep using that wild wonder of yours to create, wonderous human, and I will be back with more wildlife art love next week.

Mwah!

PS: For loads of full tutorials and a spectacularly wonderful community for creative women, you might want to join me here ⬇️