I've been so inspired by the Coloricombo prompts by Esté Macleod that I've lost count what week or piece it is. So I think from here on out I'll just post with the title of the piece. I took a video of the process for this piece and made it into a Reel on Instagram [ watch process ].

Hello friends. Pinterest has been a wonderful place for me to find various technique how-to's for painting, or inspirational images, or home ideas and products. But recently I've been adding more of my own work to Pinterest. I'm excited to share my inspiration boards with you all as I've been collecting and pinning for a long time now, but not shared these boards. I'm also excited to show the gallery-style boards of my work. Why not go take a peek of the process?

The process for this piece was frustrating. I'm not drawn to reds and pinks at all so the concept was lacking at first. My initial sketch was a go-to painting of vines, leaves, and circle flowers creating a nice pattern. But it just wasn't what was needed. So I took my extra paint, as recommended by another #coloricombo artist, and painted roughly overtop the initial concept. I then painted three flowers, but knew it needed more. I enjoyed the collage creation from week 8 so much that I decided to try again. I really love the depth of process this gives my pieces and I really just let my brain flow through my hands without overthinking.

I have had Ukraine on my mind since the start of the invasion. I'm inspired by the strength and pride of her people. The images of sunflowers and babies being born during the crisis has flooded my thoughts. This piece has those feelings brought in. New growth is starting and mirrors current events.

I have been wanting to try my hand at collage for a while now. Starting with watercolor washes, I didn't have a plan for the final piece. Organically assembling the pieces, two flowers growing from the same place began to appear. I've really enjoyed this and would love to explore more.

I have been wanting to use a cozy homestead as the focus of an illustration for a long time. The palette in this week's challenge seemed to suit the mood of a cozy, indoors moment. I sometimes wonder if I should begin illustrating more often as I find so much joy in creating worlds rather than mimicking what I see on a landscape. What you see is somewhat of a dream home for me: kitty cat by the wood burner, comfy chair and clothes, warm cuppa, Georgian window, a sweater waiting to be knit, stacks of books to be read, and socks warming naturally. Hope you feel cozy and at home when you look through.

I sketched in the darkest color on the palette so I would have the definition at the end (see picture one). Then working in thirds I applied the three additional colors. What I mean by "working in thirds" is I added three locations for each color to make the piece feel balanced. Then I could add dabs here and there to create more depth (see pictures two and three). Once the initial watercolor was painted I then went in with watercolor pencil to add details to items like the flower pot, curtains, and yarn. It was somewhat difficult to mix the colors correctly but made it in the end!

The hue of blue will always remind me of the iconic wares from Cornwall. The blue and white stripe seemed to balance the yellow and burnt sienna florals. This piece is layered starting with colorful washes of yellows and oranges, then overlaid with watercolor pencil sketches to define certain areas and give some gestural emotion to the piece. The final step is overlaying additional washes to create a watery effect and apply more definition and depth to the florals. This was created in the span of about 30 minutes and was really good fun to create.

I've joined up with artists around the world and one very special Esté MacLeod for the #coloricombo 2022 weekly color palette prompts. I did not sign up in time for Week #1, but here are the sketches from Week #2.

Small break from my watercolors to experiment with acrylic and line art. Lines fascinate me and always have. They create texture, depth, definition, mood with one organic stroke of my hand, one meditation of my brain saying, "A line here. A line here. A line here." The end result struck me as it's a kind of self-portrait. I'm excited to explore this.

10 King's Bench Walk touched base with me regarding a brand refresh. A well-known law firm in London, some nod to tradition must be kept however the client wanted a more modern approach to the type as well as showing an integration of their core areas. I wanted the logo to convey an easy-to-approach, professional team that can easily adapt to any media placed. The palette was created to give a sub-brand to each core area.

Pictures from Collectors are an absolute delight. Each piece is thoughtfully placed where it can be enjoyed throughout the day. The Norwegian cottage now lives in a lovely home in Austin, TX. 

​If you have any pictures you'd like to send, please email hello@ashley-stuart.com. Ensure there are no personal items in the photos as these may be shared on my social media and website. Thank you!