Lavender

Newly planted Lavender

I planted Lavender for the first time this year. My investment was just one plant to make sure it liked my border spot.  I had lost two perennials and some annuals earlier not due to the bunnies but heat, stress or in the case of the sunflower seeds, the perennials in front blocked the seedlings from getting enough sun and they withered.

My other reason for trying to grow Lavender was to create a new card design.  Melissa at The Linden Tree where I have cards, prints, fabric and rugs on consignment suggested it to go with other Lavender groupings in the shop.  I can always count on Melissa for great suggestions and ideas for future illustration ideas.  Her shop is
dedicated to Handmade local artists and specialty fabrics for your sewing projects.

Thank You card design

So I took some photos of my plant, brought some up to my studio to study and sketch.  The stems are quite long so I drew 3 stems in a consistent wave for repetition and drew the seeds with repeating ovals over and over.  The leaves had a fun looseness to them so I didn't regiment them.  I chose a soft lavender color and played around with the cropping. The one long leaf just seemed to point to an empty space and was perfect for the message 'Thank You'.

The card is always the starting point for my designs and I may extend the lavender into a print then a repeating pattern for fabric.  But first I will drop these off to Melissa this week at the Linden Tree.  Check the link and stop in to see her shop!