Laura Clarke Lancashire, United Kingdom

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Laura is a self taught artist creating nature themed pieces. She works mostly in watercolour, though occasionally uses mixed media to complete a piece (using gouache, coloured pencil or pastel pencils for final details). Laura also enjoys experimenting with other techniques and media, such as linocut printing, embroidery, and collage sculptures.

For the majority of my work, I will begin a piece by sketching in my mechanical 2H pencil on cartridge paper, working until I am happy with the final sketch. I then use a large lightpad to lightly trace my sketch onto hot press watercolour paper, then begin the painting. I analyse multiple references to decide on how best to approach the painting, then trust the process as I progress with the piece. My favourite part of the process is when I begin to add depth to the piece by adding shadows. The final stage is to add highlights which sometimes I do by lifting the paint, or sometimes by using a little gouache or pastel pencil.

I prefer to work in earthy, natural colours and take inspiration from historical illustrations and their colour palettes. My watercolour paints are a self-curated set of 21 half pans that I have selected over time to best achieve the colours I want within my work.