Gingko Leaves – 2009 versus 2011

Every once in a while I like to paint something that I have already painted. I don't look at the older painting until I have finished the current one. I keep a record of my paintings so even if I have sold the painting I still have a record of it. After each painting is completed I scan it in a high resolution and archive it. This way I always have a copy of it that can be made into prints or cards or used in webdesign. 2 years ago I painted a Gingko leaf in my 30 day Botanical Leaf Challenge and I decided today to do it again. The all green leaf was painted in watercolor in 2009 and the multi-colored leaf  was painted in gouache and graphite today in 2011. Now that I have finished the newer leaf I scanned it and placed the 2 of them into this post.  I can see them side by side. The watercolor leaf is much more fluid and alive. The pose of the leaf almost looks like it is dancing. The greens don't seem to change much except that they get lighter and darker with the form. The gouache leaf looks stiff and rigid. Interesting that the gouache leaf was painted from a leaf that was almost dead. I found it on the ground. The watercolor leaf was drawn and painted from a fresh green leaf. It appears that the choices that I made for which medium I used reflected the fact that one leaf was alive and the other was dead…….. hmm……. Interesting isn't it?

This leaf can be purchased from my Etsy Shop: BugsBeastsBotanicals