Artist Mardi Speth

Peet and Buttercup, Courtesy Mardi Speth

Mardi Speth is a talented artist and designer based in California. She posts regularly to Illustration Friday. On her blog, MardiArt, she showcases the adventures of her characters Peet and Buttercup.

I love the finished quality of her watercolors. Watercolor is a challenging medium. It is a balance between what you want to paint and what the paint wants to do. Mardi's work is refreshing because it isn't overworked. She has lovely areas of dark, washy areas, and often adds detail without ink or pencil line. Look carefully, and you'll see she rarely paints areas of flat color. The variety in tone, hue, and texture is the element that takes these whimsical paintings to a more professional level.

I admire the storytelling aspect of each Peet and Buttercup piece. It is easy for me to focus on characterization in my personal work and forget to build in a story aspect which makes the viewer want to linger in the illustration and keeps them thinking about the piece long after they've turned the page.

At El Pollo Del Mar, courtesy Mardi Speth

I hope the depth and variety in Mardi's work inspires you. Let that creative spirit loose!

Cultivate, by Mardi Speth

 










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