How Strelitzia and Berries was painted
The strelitzia come from my own garden and the berries from local street trees. I draw in the basic shapes and tonal values and leave the highlights and the brighter colours to the last. Two apples and a small white dish with lid were added to balance the composition. This only works for pastel paintings where the top layer completely blocks out underlying colours. In an oil painting, the underneath colour would be just about impossible to hide under the white dish.