Hayley Ostronic, Self Portrait, 2026, soft pastel on Canson Mi-Tientes Velvet

© Hayley Ostronic. All rights reserved.

This is proving to be one of the most challenging pieces I’ve ever done. It’s been taking a while, since I‘ve had to do a lot of optical blending to maintain vibrancy and luminosity by layering strokes of color. I’ve found trying to blend with a tool or my fingers risks muddiness and just doesn‘t produce the same effect. Lots of experimentation and learning throughout this process.

I still have to finish the dorsal sepal, falls, and perianth tube, but I’m pretty happy with how it’s turned out so far. Obviously I’ll need to clean up the background, but that will be done last, for obvious reasons.

This is one of my first pieces after a long hiatus from my artwork. I was afraid I’d lost all my skill after 15 years but I ended up surprising myself. Very excited about this piece so I couldn’t wait to share.

All that to say, it’s never too late to get back into your artwork. Trust yourself. Your brain and hands remember more than you know.

Dr Ph Martin's Hydrus Fine Art Watercolors, set 1; Faber Castel polychromos, Arches Watercolor paper. No filters. The colors are very vibrant in natural light.

This was my first flower and it was a messy process. I pushed through til the end but next time I would start with a clean crisp well defined sketch which I didn't have.

I painted this botanical study in watercolour on paper, gradually building up the colours with transparent layers.

One of my favourite parts of botanical painting is capturing the subtle variations in colour, texture and shape that make each plant unique.

I also wrote about the painting process behind this piece for Artists & Illustrators magazine, sharing some of the techniques I used.

Hope you enjoy it!

Autumn Ash Leaf! 6×8" watercolor on Saunders Waterford Hot Press Cotton Paper, Natural White.

I'm not too happy with the veins on this one--any tips for getting leaf veins to look more natural? The leaf I used as a reference had faint Grey-green lines in the center, but pale yellow along the veins. I think I should have left out the grey-green and just left the pale yellow marking out the veins throughout most of the leaf.

This is my botanical papercut design, “Flowing Florals.” The video follows the drawing, cutting, and unfolding, ending with the piece in a dark wooden frame.

I wanted the leaves and curling lines to give the symmetrical design a sense of movement. What do you think of the red paper against the ivory backing?

Watercolor on paper

Illustration made from my own photos after a walk in the park.