17/04/2026
🎇 Aglow 🎇
Flowers and fine art have always been excellent bedfellows. For this piece I wanted to give this anthurium an extra-special glow — and given it’s destined for display, I wanted it to last. So: Derwent Lightfast Pencils. 100% lightfast for up to 100 years under museum conditions, which is reassuring if you’re planning to hang something in the hallway, a gallery, or even above the lavatory.
A few things I found useful, slide by slide:
✏️ Sharpen those pencils!— the oil-based core is smooth but robust, which means the tip holds up well for detailed work. Useful when you’re working small and precision actually matters — like the dappled reflections you can see on the petals.
🌑 Shadows aren’t always black — I barely touched the black pencil for the petals. Layering ‘Purple’ and ‘Deep Rose’ built the depth while keeping things vivid, even in the darkest areas. The oil core lets you be precise whilst getting those deep, almost photographic blacks. That means they hold up when you choose even the most ✨ dramatic ✨ of frames, like I have.
🎇 Building the glow — self-glowing flowers haven’t been invented yet, (but science is working on it… maybe) so this required a bit of artistic licence. White (or bare paper) for the brightest edges, then graduating through warm colours to that inky background. Layering the oil-based pigment gradually is what keeps the transitions smooth rather than muddy.
Still one more to come — and it’s the big one 🌺
Featuring Derwent Lightfast pencils.
