Next Saturday I am holding two, two-hour classes at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.”Nature Sketching with Watercolour Pencil”.

It has been organised by their Friends Group. I visited to look at the garden around the Plant Cottage, where they hold the classes. I have held classes in Summer and Autumn, and this is my first Winter class. We were fortunate to be able to sit in the courtyard outside for the last two Seasons.

These next events will be indoors, no matter how sunny it is There is still a chill in the air and a bit of rain.

I also looked around the garden surrounding the cottage to see what was in bloom. There was more colour than I thought! I will bring some leaves and gumnuts inside to sketch. I also have permission to cut some flowers. There are 10 students around two tables, so I will spread out what I collect.

The class is for anyone who is interested in looking at nature and getting some pencil marks down on the page. Watercolour pencils are such fun to play with.

All of the above sketches were mainly done on location, until the rain got heavier. I completed them at home. I started this sketch from a photo and will finish it before next week’s class.

Sometimes my weekly blog post involves a project, a technique or an event.

And sometimes it is just my sketches this week. Here they are:

an afternoon at Kere Kere Cafe, outside and inside views.

On the tram – watercolour pencil, but no water added.

At home with a cold. The first sketch is a box of tissues and tissues. The second in my Ginger & Apple tea.

some yellow and green fruits. Grapes, Stewed Apples and Kiwi Fruit.

Let’s see what next week brings !

Friday night music at the Melbourne Athenaeum Library. A step outside of my usual string quartet sketching.

Djoliba Rattler is a collaboration involving Aboubacar Djéliké Kouyate, who was born and raised within the ‘griot’ musical tradition of his homeland Mali, and three renowned Melbourne musicians: George Butrumlis on accordian, percussionist Ray Pereira OAM and bassist Mark Ferrie.

The group presented selections from their recently released album ‘Malibourne’ which fuses Kouyate’s interpretations of traditional Malian musical themes with the distinctly Melbourne musical sensibilities of George, Mark and Ray.

This was a challenge with different instruments and music, rhythms and lighting.

However there was some familiarity as I still stood in the same shelves to sketch and had the backgrounds of shelves and the audience in the same place. AND I sketched with my watercolour pencils and Lamy Safari Ink pen.

I sketched many more pages on the night.

Three of the audience danced in the aisle

Thanks to the Melbourne Athenaeum Library for all of their wonderful events . Free to Members and $20 to Non Members .

International Nature Journaling Week was 1-7th June 2024
This year we are exploring the natural processes within the cycle of life. It is winter in Melbourne, so I had to look harder or think broadly about some of the interpretations. As usual I used my wonderful Faber Castell watercolour pencils as usual to create these. I used the colours in my usual sketchkit for these.

It was a wonderful week to explore what is around me.

There is an amazing International Nature Journaling Week team behind this. They are from different parts of the world but are connected by a shared love of nature and creativity.

They had a theme for each day during the week to guide everyone’s focus.

• Germination and emergence
• Growth and development
• Metamorphosis and transformation
• Reproduction and replication
• Fruiting and dispersal
• Decay and decomposition
• Renewal and regeneration

If you are curious here is an excerpt form their website with links to all sorts of wonderful things

Explore the website – there is lots to discover! You can Start Here and then find out How to Participate in the week. There is a page for Parents & Teachers, one for the Reluctant Artist and a page on sharing the Written Word in our nature journal pages. On the Blog you will find posts from nature journalers around the world, sharing ideas and knowledge on different aspects of journaling. The Books & Inspiration page will point you to books and websites where you can learn more about nature journaling and nature connection. Sign-up to the newsletter to receive updates and ideas.

There were all sorts of interpretation and styles and knowledge from around the world shared online during this time. It was fascinating to read about different parts of the world and their plants and animals.

My focus is always the drawing, however, other write, or create more scientific pages.

Germination and emergence.

These Chestnut conkers were given to me a few years ago to draw. There were six in an egg carton. I wonder … would they germinate if I planted them now??? I live in an apartment, so I won’t be testing that theory.

Growth and development

In the middle of a Melbourne winter there is growth on the end of some bunya pine trees in nearby Fitzroy Gardens.

Metamorphasis and transformation

Cicada skins I have in my collection

Reproduction and replication

Quail eggs from my collection.

Fruiting and dispersal

A beautiful gerbera in a bunch of flowers I was given. I cut one in half to show the seed head and how they disperse when dry.

Decay and decomposition

 These are bones of a short-tailed shearwater (muttonbird) from Port Fairy beach , Victoria, Australia. Thousands migrate every year and some die on the beaches there from exhaustion. I found these desiccated bones a few years ago in the sand.

Renewal and Regeneration

I was looking for Winter inspiration. Found ! in a local front yard where someone had done some heavy winter pruning and these small shoots were emerging

I would like to thank the organisers for the time, thought and passion that they put into making this such a successful event once again !

When you sketch, you look and observe nature, it is astonishing !

I have been chatting to a few friends and sketchers about travel sketching recently.

Today I am showing how to start and maintain your excitement before you go.

I often sketch many pages before I even land on the ground at my holiday destination.

Here are some ideas I have taken from my previous UK holidays.

I hope that this gives you some inspiration and ideas.

Happy and safe travels everyone. Enjoy sketching as you go.