Jayne Cornforth

We are delighted to share more work by Jayne Cornforth, who is studying on the Botanical Coloured Pencil Diploma. These pieces come from Assignments 4 and 5, where Jayne explored both floral and vegetable studies with great attention to detail.

For these assignments, Jayne chose the Common Sunflower (Helianthus annus) as her subject. She created three different studies, experimenting with a combination of coloured pencils and ink. This assignment allowed her to practise composition, tonal contrast, and movement, responding to feedback from earlier exercises. By using triangular composition and varied pen strokes such as stippling, cross-hatching, and scribbling, Jayne successfully captured the boldness and character of the sunflower. The rich yellows and lime greens of the petals and leaves were carefully layered using Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils, producing vibrant and realistic results.

Jayne then turned her attention to grouped vegetables and fruit, producing two carefully composed still life studies – one of onions, and another of fruit including grapes, lemon, and orange. She paid close attention to texture, noting the contrast between the papery skin of a red onion and its smooth inner flesh, as well as the bloom on crimson grapes. She worked with asymmetrical arrangements and the rule of three to create balance and used subtle tonal shifts to bring her subjects to life. Her use of a daylight lamp and callipers helped ensure accurate light direction, perspective, and scale.

Both assignments show Jayne’s commitment to learning and refining her technique. Her drawings are beautifully detailed, with thoughtful compositions that balance accuracy and artistry.

We are looking forward to sharing her final assignment work in a future post, where she brings together everything she has learned on the course in two stunning botanical studies.

If you would like to learn how to capture flowers, fruit, and plants with the same precision and artistry, take a look at our Botanical Coloured Pencil Diploma Course. With expert guidance from tutor Gráinne Murphy, this course is perfect for anyone who wants to explore botanical illustration using the versatile medium of coloured pencils.

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