Someone recently asked me why I do a relatively detailed sketch before starting on an actual piece. I didn't really have an answer for her. That's just how I was taught to work. It's kind of like the writing process. First you organize your thoughts, then you write the bulk of what you want to say, then you edit. But not everyone uses the same writing process and similarly, every artist has a unique method. Over the years I have noticed a marked difference between the pieces I plan out and those I just sort of go for. At least in my case, the planning makes a huge difference in the quality of the final product. It also cuts down on the "editing" I have to do at the end.
For my current series, I take reference photos first. Then I draw quick, miniature sketches from the photos to see which patterns and plants work together. Once I've found a couple winning combinations, I create a slightly larger sketch and do some of the cutting in order to get a better feel for the finished product. This allows me to make changes to the composition before I start working with more expensive materials. After completing the sketch above, I can tell that I want the pattern to be thicker, the leaves to have varied lengths, and that I have to be very careful sketching so that copious pencil lines can be easily erased.
