Art Process Video: Ocotillo & Hummingbird
Ocotillos are starting to bloom here in Tucson so it seems like a great time to share my art process video for my watercolor and pen art One Ocotillo...So Many Flowers!
🎨 My Art Process for One Ocotillo…So Many Flowers!
Closely observe Ocotillos and take some reference photos
Use blue painter’s tape to mask off the area I’m going to paint
Sketch my composition with pencil
Add waterproof pen for the Ocotillo canes + spines & then erase my pencil sketch
Paint blue watercolor in the area I’ve masked off, using a sponge to add texture
Paint the flowers with red watercolor
Paint the canes with gray watercolor
Draw and paint the hummingbird
Remove the blue painter’s tape & then add my title, signature & border
🧐 A Few Fun Facts about Ocotillos
Ocotillo (pronounced oh-koh-TEE-yoh) means “little torch” in Spanish—referring to the flowers
Ocotillos can reach a height of over 30 feet
Ocotillos are leafless for much of the year but new leaves can emerge in just 3 days after a good rain. Meanwhile, Ocotillos use their canes for photosynthesis.
Ocotillos are estimated to live around 60 years, though some studies suggest they can live over 100 years