Today I suddenly realized that what I’d called lupine seed pods in my last post are actually *larkspur* seed pods! It hit me out of the blue and I was like, “duh, of course i knew that!”

The larkspur seed pods I used as part of Day 1′s exploration didn’t really show up in the art piece I created, so for Day 2, I decided to draw them since I really love their shape.

I took a photo of the drawing with a clematis plant on the steps of my back porch. My brother’s dog, Chief, jumped in the shot at the last second, helping created the perfect photo!

For Day 3, I wanted to take the larkspur drawing a little further. I saw this amazing, huge grape leaf that is lacy with holes in some areas. It seemed perfect for a spray paint stencil.

(Pictured with Otto to show a sense of scale. Isn’t it big!?)

I really like how the drawing of the seed pods turned out, so instead of experimenting with the original, I printed out a copy and refined the drawn lines with black ink before spray painting.

Again I used a very simple outdoor studio set up. I placed the paper on the grass with the leaf on top and sprayed the desired color, adjusting the leaf slightly before spraying the next color. I used a combination of bright red, lavender and light blue, which all blended very nicely together.

I really enjoy the speckled texture that the spray paint lends, and I’m happy that the paint managed to make its way through some of the holey areas of the leaf.

I was also happy to notice that the spray painted leaf itself was quite beautiful. I find it interesting how the colors combined with the dull yellowish green of the back of the leaf to create a neutral gray color that almost matches the wood of the porch!

I know I’m only on Day 3, but I’m loving this project. Everyday I see more & more. I could have easily created 20 drawings inspired by the plants I’ve examined, but I’m taking it easy and having fun with it. At least I know I won’t run out of ideas any time soon!