Hand-painted watercolor clip art @skandiadesignstudio featuring leaves, twigs, & other stuff.

As a watercolor artist up north, I was eager to get outside to paint. Spring arrived in Skandia right on time, and green shoots were popping up all around. Perfect, my sap green watercolor paint was ready! Until a late snow came and covered the crocus, daffodils, and hyacinths with a heavy white blanket about a foot thick. So much for getting some early paintings of new spring growth.

What to do?

I turned to the friendly little leaf to keep me painting with visions of spring dancing in my head. The leaves were fun to paint—filling my seasonal gap. I have painted so many leaves and berries and twigs through the years, the shapes are like old friends. I wouldn't need the great outdoors for a while.

I got busy with the brush and made a new collection of leaves, but I couldn't stop there. Some field grass, dried seed heads, and a few cones were painted to round out this set. Then I just had to build a few wreaths and frames, because I am obsessed with them. 

The snow is melting as I write, soon I will get outside and paint. 

In the end, it worked out because this series was a lot of fun to paint and build. Hope these clip art images fill a blank in your projects and you will add a friendly little watercolor leaf to your art-filled life. 

I came across a pair of pileated woodpeckers last week on my walk through the woods. They were hammering away on a dead tree north of the trail. I am hoping the tree suits their needs to raise a little one, two, or three! I'd love to see the young birds sticking their little red-feathered heads out of the tree cavity awaiting their next meal. 

I read up on what they like in their habitat; carpenter ants, blackberries, oak trees and acorns. Check, check, and double check. Time will tell.

That sighting served as my inspiration to paint this week. Since the pileated woodpeckers love acorns, I paired the watercolor I did of them with a same series focused on the oak leaves, acorns, and trees. Take a look at my etsy listing.