This long weekend I was determined to film myself sketching using my new Uniqu lighting set-up. This is where your camera fits in the lighting aparatus, I watched two YouTube videos, as the instructions that came with it were not helpful. After much procrastination/fear – I did it. You cannot imagine how proud I am of myself to have managed this technology,
I have not edited the video in any way (even to turn it horizontal). I could have spent a long and stressful time editing cropping etc but instead am using this blog to think through the process of sketching and recording.
Sketching
I usually sketch directly on the page with the colour of the object (where possible). In this case, it was easy (which is why I chose this as my first trial run). I used Orange Glaze for the mug. I very rarely use a graphite pencil to put in the first lines or use an eraser. Unless the drawing demands it (or I demand it of myself) it is all about the impression on the page and not getting it perfect. Of course, it helps that I have sketched this mug many times, and know the proportions, which makes it look easy. I thought that degree of confidence in what I was doing was best for this experiment. Once I started sketching I forgot about the camera.
I had the watercolour pencils colours put aside that I knew I would be using as I have sketched this mug many times. I knew which colours to get from my sketchkit.
I set it up and then only looked at my sketching page, and not the camera on the mount. This was not as difficult as I thought.
Filming
Things I need to think about
I knew there would be shadows on the pages, but not where and how much
how much my hand moves across the page,
how long I am going to sketch for
what and how much editing I am going to do afterwards
what I am going to sketch
I am not going to stress about these too much.
I am now so excited about how I can use this and what other examples I can use. It is going to be great to be able to share my watercolour pencil technique with everyone. Sometimes you just need to see something being done. No amount of explaining can substitute.
This blog includes hints and tips from my own experience of sketching at Melbourne Zoo. It has some very different experiences from other on-location urban and nature sketching situations. I hope that this assists anyone who would like to join me one day to sketch at the zoo. I plan on visiting often over Spring/ Summer. send me a message if you want me to let you know when I am going.\
As I read over this, it seems a bit negative, but I am hopeful it is just a reality check.
There is so much joy in observing animals as you sketch and making that connection and understanding of their bodies and behaviours.
First up – the cost is $42 for a day’s visit. That can be an expensive day. But for $126 you can get a membership, which allows you to visit for a year and you can go for just a few hours a couple of times and get your money’s worth quickly. I get very tired of sketching for a whole day. I so have learned to arrive at 9 am, when they open, and leaving after lunch is usually enough for me, by about 2 pm. I also have plans to just drop in for an hour or two, as it is so close to the city and the tram is to the door. As I write this in September 2022 you need to book online for the day you want to visit, unless you are a zoo member.
Plan in advance
I usually bring my own lunch, instead of queuing at the food stations. Also, rehydrate and bring water. Sketching at the zoo involves a lot of sitting and standing, and a bit of walking ( we did 8000 steps in 3 hours).
Don’t bring too much gear – just the basics. You have to carry it all and need to get comfortable with what you can do in the space and time you have and the opportunities offered. I usually sketch with watercolour pencil in a 13 x 19 cm Moleskine Watercolour sketchbook. But on my Zoo visits, I take a larger old record book. It is my Zoo book. I use my watercolour pencils but don’t add water to the page. It is thinner paper and I just don’t have time. I use the pencils as I love to draw and I know the colours to pull out of my sketchwrap quickly.
Dress for the weather and season. The zoo is mostly outside and what you do may be dependent on the weather… or whether you decide to go at all.
Look at the map – on their website, in advance, and then you can collect one at the zoo. There are sometimes closed paths and you can’t always get to where you want to go. There are a LOT of animals. If you look at the map and website and choose some areas in advance.
sketching animals – the reality
Remember you are here as a sketcher and not a visitor trying to see everything in one day. You won’t see them all.
You have to be flexible – go with the flow of what is available to sketch. Don’t expect to sketch a specific animal. Some exhibits are closed.
Animals move! Some animals are out of view or walk away as soon as you start sketching them, and don’t come back.
The lines below are monkeys. I gave up. They never returned to the same spot. At these times, I just stood back and enjoyed.
These may be koalas and a wombat.
Other animals return to the same position such as elephants, zebras, and giraffes feeding and there may be a few of them so you can use another in the same stance,
Sometimes it is better to sketch the more obscure animals and not the “go to” ones that everyone wants to see. ie tigers, lions, elephants, ones. Visit the Tapir or the tortoise.
Animals have strange body shapes. They are often not what you think they are or the image you have in your mind. Observing this is part of the joy of sketching and also the knowledge you gain by returning to sketch the animals again on return visits.
I have sketched elephants for many years, and I still have to stop and observe how the lip connects to the trunk and body.
or you just get to draw what is offered…
Other People
The zoo is a popular place! But it is a large area with the animals spread out in different areas. Be prepared for the crowds. There are lots of families with strollers on public holidays and weekends, and school holidays are also silly. The perfect time would be a weekday. But then there are the school groups to contend with. AND 9am -10am is the quietest visitor time of the day.
In general, people usually don’t stay long observing animals. But they are continuously coming and going. They can crowd you out in their enthusiasm to see the animals and get up close to the glass or viewing area, and completely ignore the concept of personal space. On the other hand, one will be interested in what you are doing.
Note: inside spaces are usually crowded.
As a sketcher
Manage your own expectations of what you can achieve and don’t be disappointed. A scribble on the page is enough. You may have a lot of unfinished lines.
It is hard to sketch with other sketchers, as everyone will have different interests and time that they are prepared to wait to sketch a specific animal. It is probably better to have meeting times and places to catch up before heading off again.
I hope that my experiences prepare you for a future zoo visit as a sketcher. Please let me know any hints and tips you have.
It is time for the annual Blarney Books and Art Biblio Art Prize. When you enter the competition you get given a book title to interpret artistically. It is by an Australian author and recently published. I have entered quite a few times over the years. See links at the end of this post. I initially drew in the pages of my given book. Last year I drew on a separate loose sheet. This year I am back in my comfort zone of drawing in books. My book is The Three Burials of Lotty Kneen by Krissy Kneen.
I read the book and thought about what attracted me to draw. I spent a few hours working this out in my head and on paper. The process included choosing which pages to draw on, the images to choose and how to place them on the page. I decided to work around the recipes the author discovers in the countries her grandmother spent time in her life, and not over them.
Ready to go, I took a photo of my first marks on the page. I then blocked out images
Then I wanted to see how the page will take the watercolour pencil and then the water. I started with the bay leaf. It looks like this is ok. It won’t take a lot of working on but I can do more than one layer. It is not watercolour paper, The quality/ texture of the paper will affect how I draw and what I can. Knowing this I can be realistic about what I can achieve.
I drew the bay leaf and the colour and added water with a very fine tiny brush. The water will intensify the colour to the area it is added, but does not spread the colour. I think that I will be able to add fine details, with a sharpened pencil. But I have to remember – not too sharp, as it can cut through the paper. I realise that I have reached the saturation point on the page for the bay leaf.
The colours are Chrome Green Oxide and Payne Grey from my daily kit and mainly Olive Green Yellowish. I choose from my BIG BOX of watercolour pencils as it is not a time to mix colours on the page. If there is an exact colour I will use it.
The page has to be completely dry before adding more colour – otherwise, the paper will tear. I have to be patient, There is no chance to do it again. In this case, it was the next day.
It is due in October. There is a second recipe to draw in the book. Then I post it to Blarney . 100 or so are chosen for the exhibition there that does through to December r January I think. I enter because I love the bookshop and the concept.
Today is Father’s Day in Australia. My dad passed away many years ago, but for today I drew some screwdrivers that came from his shed. I bought them home from clearing out Mum’s place recently.
I thought I would should you as a work in progress, but only remembered to scan it a few times. Once I start drawing, I lose all sense of time. Next time I might set a timer. This one was over a few evenings.
I have drawn tools before and wrote a long blog post about them back in 2017. Each time I read this I get all emotional.
This is all with watercolour pencils. My favourite colour discovery in the last few years in the Faber Castell Albrecht Durer range has been Dark Sepia. It is a lovely colour between dark brown and grey. But not either. I use it all the time. It is perfect for natural objects, and in this case, rust. I love the fact that I can sharpen my watercolour pencils and get a fine point to add details and hard lines.
