Sketching Terrariums For GROWLondon And London Terrariums

You might not know this about me but I love growing things. I might have mentioned that since our move, a couple of years ago, we now have a garden - oh how wondrous it is to have your own outdoor space, especially when you have lived in flats with no outdoor space for many decades. But I am kind of wishing now that I had tried growing a terrarium years ago. What a perfect way to bring a bit of contained garden into a small living space.

I was really lucky a couple of weeks ago as I got to make my very own terrarium with London Terrariums. It was a taste of the workshops that they will be running for GROWLondon, the contemporary garden and lifestyle fair on Hampstead Heath 24-26 June 2016 and I thought it would be a great subject for some sketches with watercolour and ink.

My terrarium is the one of the far right in the picture above. I know what you are thinking, how did you plant anything through such a narrow neck? Magic! Ok so it wasn't magic but it was possible, slightly fiddly but lots of fun.

I didn't get any time during the making of the terrarium to do any sketching as it was far too much fun and super absorbing. But I did take lots of photographs to make up for it and then to sketch from when I got home.

For our miniature terrarium gardens we had pebbles, some beautiful plants with variegated leaves, moss, activated charcoal and compost so some great textures and colours to play with not to mention some unusually looking tools to sketch too.

I used Winsor and Newton watercolours in a small landscape travel watercolour sketchbook. Starting with a pencil sketch from the photographs and inking it with a Sakura Pigma Micron pen then colouring with the watercolours.

It is not something that I have done a lot of but it is something that I want to do more of, I love the idea of a sketchbook diary and would love to make this into a daily habit.

I will definitely be taking my sketchbook with me to GROWLondon later this month, or at least my camera to capture the growing inspiration. There will be lots going on including workshops, as well as the terrarium making, running over the weekend at GROWLondon. Also London Terrariums runs workshops in and around London and the South too.

My terrarium now has pride of place on our dinning room table and you never know it might be subject for some more sketches soon. Massive thank you to London Terrariums and GROWLondon for the experience and the subject matter for some sketching!

Have you ever made a terrarium? I have my eye on some of the fun science vessels that London Terrarium uses for some of theirs. This might be the start of something!

Kim

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