No. 29 of the 30 Day Challenge

A little bit late -  problem with Wifi overseas but got there in the end. Here's the penultimate offering in the form of a beech seed. Love these little seeds with the wiry exterior and velvet  like interiors to their coat. Nice subject to paint too...wish there was more time in the day to do it justice!
I think when I finish the challenge  a larger piece with all the favourite subjects is on the cards...this little seed has its name down for a place.

Beech Seed, 2013

 Colours: A wash of Cerulean Blue was applied to the inside of the seed coat to create the shine.
I used a mix of Transparent Yellow and Brown Madder on the same area - very light application. Once dry I painted tusing dry brush to give the velvety feel, using the same colours and added a little French Ultramain for the cooler areas on the shade side. One the left there is a brighter area where the light shines throught the seed - I added a little Quinacridone Red and Transparent Yellow here to make it warmer.
Fot the seed I used the same two colours plus some Burnt Sienna.  For the shadow I used a mix of Ultraviolet and French Ultramarine. I applied a final wash of a more yellow biased mix. I used Ultraviolet in the shadow.
Fot the outside of the seedcoat, I used Burnt Sienna mixed with Indanthrene Blue and painted the hair using a small size 1 brush.