Finding florals on your path

Join us for the 5-Day Easy Flower Challenge starting May 27th, happening right here on Substack!

Hi! Welcome to Happy Surprise. Heads up! this post is all about flowers. If blooms aren't your thing, you might want to skip it, but I hope you stick around.

P.S. This flower challenge is free, and everyone is welcome to join in 🌺 If you like this article, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber

my happy on-the-go art bag, stuffed with just the essentials.

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Save the date for the 5-Day Flower Challenge!

A couple of weeks ago, I asked if you were interested in joining me for a floral fun challenge in this post. I’m delighted to say that enough of you said yes to think its a good idea.

Let’s make it official! Let’s draw together from May 27th to May 31st.

There seems to be a preference for drawing over painting, but you don’t have to choose one or the other. I'll be thinking about flowers that work well for both sketching and painting freely.

Each day, you’ll receive daily prompt along with some resources to spark your creativity, so you won’t face a blank page and will know what to paint. It’s going to be fun and easy.

I've facilitated challenges before, but never on Substack, so I'm excited to experiment and explore, create together with you!

P.S. This challenge is free, and everyone is welcome to join in.

Whether you've never drawn a flower before or you're looking to switch things up, this invitation is for you!

Wondering along canals, secret gardens, landscape of Holland.

The not forgotten Lily

I picked up a lily petal left on the walking path of a public garden in Boskoop in Holland. I had no idea where she came from, but she was left behind, so delicate but with so much hope. So without hesitation, I brought her safely home back to Delft. I watched her slowly open up, day by day, capturing each moment with my iPhone camera. She became part of my routine, always by my side, so much so that I decided to take her with us on our road trip to keep her alive and close by. Her scent was uplifting and sweet, like burying your face in a bouquet of freshly bloomed lilies. She held on for a week until it was time to let her rest and farewell her in Griesheim-près-Molsheim, at a park just like I had found her. 

She had travelled from the Netherlands to France and had given me magical moments, making sure I paused to admire her beauty blossoming right in front of me — the wonders of nature. 

In return, she became my muse, sparked me to draw her and preserve her presence.

Below, you can watch a short video clip of her journey.

the light was perfect

Update on the 31 Days of May Flower

I’ve been drawing a lot outdoors and being on the road over the weekends, so it's incredibly convenient to have all my supplies in one bag, ready to grab at any time without any fuss.

Springtime brings endless inspiration, and I couldn't be happier. Everyplace I visit is bursting with garden trails, all kinds of flower in display with such joy for colour.

Creating sketches of petals and painting flowers is a timeless quest for discovery. My challenge is choosing just one flower to paint and finding enough days to capture the beauty of so many different flowers.

Here’s just a few of the flowers i have been enjoying drawing and painting this last week. If you missed the first part of the may flowers,

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These are just a few of the lowers from my sketchbook, but more to come. Until then, join us for the 5-day challenge, from May 27th to May 31st. It’s free, and everyone is welcome. If you haven’t yet, sign up below to stay in the loop.

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