When my husband suggested today that I design some jewelry around a “holly” theme,  what instantly came to mind was images of Santa sweaters and Walgreens’ jingle-bell earrings.  So, I decided to overcome my resistance and embrace the challenge.  I’ve actually come up with two holly-inspired designs, but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see Variation #2…

As usual, I started by sketching in my sketch book.  From here I transferred the design I liked to vellum:

Pencil on Vellum - Holly Brooch Design by Joana Miranda

Then I rubbed the back of the vellum with silver pencil, placed the vellum right-side-up on a piece of black Canson art paper, and traced over the design again to transfer the lines to the black paper:

Silver Pencil on Black Paper - Holly Brooch Design by Joana Miranda

It is hard to imagine that the above line drawing could come to life with just a little watercolor paint, but here is the finished rendering:

Watercolor and Gouache Platinum, Diamond, and Ruby Cabochon Holly Brooch Rendering by Joana Miranda

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