Designs from an Irish ditch

I live on the lovely Blackberry Lane in Delgany, Co. Wicklow and this is a perfect time of year to go foraging on my doorstep for much needed design inspiration.  There is so much colour in the ditches right now with lots of berries which the birds haven't eaten yet.  There are also plenty of delicious blackberries for the picking.

Apart from the odd prick from a thorn or two, I took great pleasure this week gathering up a few lovely bits and pieces like holly, hawthorn, rosehips, thistles, ivy and more.  Then I got out the gouache paints and started painting.   

Adding a bit of life to the blackberries...the best part!

After I completed my painting I scanned my work and exported it onto the computer and worked away in Adobe creating sweet autumnal patterns with a personal touch.  A nice little design project to start this lovely season and the possibilities are endless :-)

Autumn Foraging

Blackberry 'H'

Mock up of fern patterned cushion using last week's gouache illustration

Dried ditch weeds criss-crossed like this make a compelling pattern, I see this one on a seasonal silk!