Dog Walks - sketchbook pages

 

Dog Walks I   sketchbook pages   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Collage pages from my pocketbook, quick sketches from the dog walks. Prints to follow...

Dog Walks II   sketchbook pages   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

You can't stop the tide - mixed media

 

You can't stop the Tide I   mixed media on paper 14x14cm   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

You can't stop the Tide II   mixed media on paper 14x14cm   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

You can't stop the Tide III   mixed media on paper 14x14cm   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

These three pieces started as collagraphs made a while back but there was something not quite finished about them so they were set aside. I recently discovered them again hidden in a folder and thought the time was right to revisit them. Adding mixed media to adjust tones and variating the spray splashing over the groyne has made a small sequence that I am much happier with. Over the years I must have spent hours watching and waiting for the perfect splash of sea spray and with these three pieces finished I feel the time was well spent, just like the time they spent waiting for their moment in the folder.

Available in my Folksy Store.

2026 Drawing project - Mrs Willmott's Ghost

 

Mrs Willmott's Ghost   sketchbook page coloured pencil and ink    ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Eryngium giganteum, with the common name Miss Willmott's Ghost, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. The short-lived herbaceous perennial thistle is native to the Caucasus and Iran in Western Asia.

Source: Wikipedia

Named after Ellen Willmott (1858 - 1934) who liked to secretly scatter seed, maybe the first guerrilla gardener, she certainly seemed like a character with an interesting life and a passion for horticulture.

I love this plant for it's barely there colour, almost luminescent tones, which makes a strong contrast against other plants. The specimens that I have drawn here were grown in my garden last summer and have dried to a hint of cream in colour. I am looking forward to seeing it again this year.

Mrs Willmott's Ghost (detail)   sketchbook page coloured pencil and ink    ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Bold and Bright! A summery collection in Turquoise, Magenta and Sunshine Yellow

 

Bold and Bright - fabric, wallpaper & Soft Furnishings   ©2026Lisa Le Quelenec

Summer is on its way! The sun will be hot, the garden and beach accessories even hotter. Bold prints on crisp white in turquoise, magenta and sunshine yellow. Fabric, wallpaper and soft furnishings are available in my Spoonflower store. 

Bold and Bright - fabric, wallpaper & Soft Furnishings   ©2026Lisa Le Quelenec

For stationery and accessories visit RedBubble  ....how cute are the sundresses and totes?

My absolute favourite is the seahorse bedding in blue.

Bold and Bright - fabric, wallpaper & Soft Furnishings   ©2026Lisa Le Quelenec

Seahorse lino print cards available at Seaside Studios UK at Folksy.com ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

 Scallop lino print cards available at Seaside Studios UK at Folksy.com ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

The patterns were created using the linoprint cards that I made earlier in the year. They can be found in my Folksy store.

Roll on summer!

2026 drawing project - honesty... silver dollars...lunaria and a pine cone

 

Honesty Silver Dollars Lunaria   sketchbook drawing mixed media   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec  

April's drawing (I am so late posting!) is inspired by a stem of Honesty that blew across my path as I walked down to the fields. It was dull grey winter time and this little stem shone like it contained all the light of the day - so beautiful. It has been standing in a bottle for a few months waiting for its turn to be drawn. It isn't until you start to closely observe that you see just how many colours are contained within it's luminous discs, I'm not sure I have done it justice but it was an absolute joy to try.

Now I am not sure what happened to March's drawing because I did post it but it seems to have gotten lost as it is not here now. Anyway, I will include it here;

Pine cone Drawing stages   sketchbook mixed media   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

I used to draw pinecones frequently in the past, I love getting lost in the patterns but has been a little while since the last one. I thought you might like to see the stages of drawing that I use and below the final sketch.

 

Pine cone  mixed media in sketchbook   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Below is a bonus sketch; on a familiar stretch on a dog walk I came across this on the path. Either the remainder of something's lunch or maybe discarded by another dog  was this 'pinecone flower' another treasure bagged and stored away in a pocket to be drawn. The strange thing was that I'm pretty sure the nearest pine tree is about a kilometre away so this little flower had travelled a bit.

Pine cone  mixed media in sketchbook   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

I will try to be a little more punctual for May!

Gulls, surf and monoprints - a process

 

Process for some new monoprints   surf and gulls   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Using the sketches from my circular sketchbook as a jumping point I spent a rather fun day making some monoprints. Not everything worked - and that is good as it means lessons are being learnt - but some did. So not only do I have some new prints for the Folksy store but I also have a pile of 'not quite there yet' prints to work into in mixed media which I am just as excited about. I am particularly excited about the prints made in the second pass with the circular mask removed. The resulting subtlety of the circular motif is something I think I can manipulate further.

Below are some of the pairs of initial prints with their second pass partners - I really like the second pass for the different sketchy marks and where there wasn't enough ink to transfer as I think it suits the subject in this case. I have lots more ideas to play with that will keep me busy.

 

Process for some new monoprints   surf and gulls   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Process for some new monoprints   surf and gulls   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Some of my gull series are available at RedBubble in their different reproduction print formats. As framed prints which style of framing do you prefer?

Surf Spray Gull series   available at RedBubble  ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

A circular sketchbook - mixed media storms, waves & gulls

 

I started a new pocket sketchbook at the beginning of the year. I have prepped the pages with tissue some marked with ink by drying prints others with watercolour marks. Each page will have a composition made within a circle. I am hoping that I will learn things about composition from a change in format. I am allowing myself to spill outside of the circle as the mood takes me. I will probably stick to grey, indigo and white to take away the decision fatigue of choosing palettes. I like the consistency in these small sketchbooks when reviewing sketches over a longer period of time. 

I used to work within circles quite often in watercolour so it feels, at least to begin with, like I am revisiting old ground with new eyes. Of course the sea, as always is present and so too are the gulls that circle and swoop within my work. At least that is how it is starting although that isn't necessarily how the sketchbook will finish. It does rather fell like the start of a voyage in a way...

Circle sketchbook page   watercolour and mixed media   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Circle sketchbook page   watercolour and mixed media   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Circle sketchbook page   watercolour and mixed media   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

A gentle tide - monoprint

 

A Gentle Tide   monoprint 9.5x9.5cm   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Ohhhh I do love monoprinting! It is such an immediate and responsive way to work and generate ideas. I love the diffused tones that can be achieved....drawing with ink .....the suggestive marks...the messiness of it all (at least when I do it).

This is one of my favourite ones from a recent monoprinting session. It has the movement of the tide that I was aiming for. It is available here in my Folksy store.

Salt Water Shallows - Fabric, Wallpaper and Home Accessories

 

Salt Water Shallows in Yellow and Lavender a collection on fabrics, wallpaper and home accessories available from Spoonflower   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Here we have it Salt Water Shallows a new collection of co ordinating patterns that can be mixed and matched for your personal salt water sanctuary. In five colour families inspired by the coast and treasures collected at the beach - available from Spoonflower.

Yellow and lavender for a sunny living room or cosy reading nook.

Salt Water Shallows in Yellow and Lavender a collection on fabrics, wallpaper and home accessories available from Spoonflower   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Sea sage green for kitchen and dining....

Salt Water Shallows in Sea Sage Green a collection on fabrics, wallpaper and home accessories available from Spoonflower   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Or maybe warm terracotta, reminiscent of coral and seashells..

Salt Water Shallows in Warm Terracotta a collection on fabrics, wallpaper and home accessories available from Spoonflower   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Perhaps a bedroom in soothing deep duck egg and frosted mint aqua...

Salt Water Shallows in Deep Duck Egg & Frosted Mint a collection on fabrics, wallpaper and
home accessories available from Spoonflower   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Or the depth of warm evenings of summertime blues?

Salt Water Shallows in Summertime Blues a collection on fabrics, wallpaper and home accessories available from Spoonflower   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

For each colour family there is a selection of plain solid colours, pin stripes and all over dotty co-ordinating fabrics, wallpaper and accessories to combine with one or more of the main patterns. Spoonflower can reproduce the designs on a range of fabric from cotton and linen to chiffon and velvet to even further personalise your choice.

Some of the designs are a little smaller in scale which makes them ready to use in smaller craft projects.

The main designs are also available from RedBubble for further choices in accessories, for example aprons, mugs, coasters, tote bags, scarves and notebooks. I rather like some of the patterns on the summer dresses from RedBubble too. 

Colour palettes for a new Fabric and Wallpaper Collection.

 

I thought I would share how I start to play with colours and choose palettes for new pattern collections in fabric and wallpaper. I am very drawn at the moment to yellows, ochres and soft lilacs which feels like a big leap from the teals, blues and turquoise I have turned to in painting and printmaking lately.

Palette Inspiration Golden Yellow and Lavender   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

I am very inspired by this postcard that I picked up at the Russell-Cotes Museum of 'Magpie or Still Life with Magpie by Clementina M Hull 1866-1908. It may not come across in this picture but the colours are both subtle and vibrant and the complimentaries sing beautifully against each other. I need the cheerful colour in the middle of Winter amidst all the grey and dark.


Isolating the colours and curating them with shells, objects from my collections and paint swatches that I have painted is an interesting exercise. I like to move physical objects around and lay them on painted swatches as it feels more real than just manipulating on a screen. I want to see how colour behaves in different light and how it will drape around a form like fabric will in real life. It helps me to imagine how it can be used within a real setting. 

Colour Inspiration Sea Sage   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Palette Inspiration Summertime Blues   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Colour Inspiration Deep Duck Egg  ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

Isn't the koi door handle and plate above stunningly beautiful? This is from the Russell-Cotes Museum too. The stripes are from corrugated plastic roofing on Boscombe pier - not quite so artisan and romantic but colour inspiring in its own way.

Colour Inspiration Warm Terracotta   ©2026LisaLeQuelenec

This gorgeous botanical sample was photographed at an exhibition of May Morris designs last year. It was amazing to see the drawings, watercolours and evolution of her designs along side the finished work. 

You can see from these palettes that I am a bit of a magpie too, always collecting treasures, making connections. Sometimes the flotsam and jetsam takes years to surface and influence work but I think the benefit of time is important, ideas need to evolve and percolate waiting for the right moment.

The new Collection will hopefully be ready to share next week or the week after, I have been working away on them since December and am partway through loading them onto Spoonflower.