Yesterday I participated in a real person event. So much of my interaction with people has been online since March 2020. Life is opening up in Melbourne, however, I am still working from home and cautious on my event attendance.

I was so pleased and proud of myself that I registered and attended “Coast Walk & Draw” run by Port Phillip EcoCentre. It included a coastal path walk and talk and a nature sketching session by my sketching friend Amy who hosts Melbourne Nature Journal Club.

It was a big event for me also as it involved one hour of travel and two forms of public transport each way to a place I have never been to. This is way outside my comfort zone. Now that I have done it once, I am feeling a lot better about the whole concept. It was just what I needed.

There were 20 people on the walk of all ages and the weather was absolutely beautiful.

The session was run by The Port Phillip EcoCentre which have “been transforming the way Melbourne understands wildlife, waterways and climate change since 1999”. The guides Ben, Reiko, and Justine shared their amazing and deep knowledge of the area, which is a Marine Sanctuary. They showed us natural objects that had been found in the waters. Ben is a passionate Vertebrate-Palaeontologist (YouTube, Instagram, blog ) and showed us whale and shark bones found on scuba diving expeditions in the area. They are from 5-6 million years in the past!. They also pointed out the marine life in the sea as we walked along the coastal wall. I saw my first ‘wild’ starfish. (It should be called a sea star, but that will take me ages to get used to) This was an 11 armed starfish. Amazing.

and the sketching !!!

After the walk, we sat in the shade and Amy provided a wonderful introduction to those who had never done nature sketching and removed any fears or questions people had about nature sketching. What is it? how to do it? Amy provided a great take-home handout that had all the hints and tips and prompts written down.

We had 40 minutes to sketch. I had been wanting sketch during the entire walk, and then when I had the chance to, I did not know where to begin. Someone had mentioned Salt Bush growing in the area. As we were by the sea I decided to sketch that. I sketched one branch up close and in colour (Earth Green Faber Castell) and then the outline of some others in the background to show that it is part of a bush.

I had lots of questions that I wrote on the page and am still looking up all the answers.

I added the ocean in the background as we sat talking after, just to give some context.

I also tried a bit of sketching the group and presenters I am so out of practice.

A big day. A good day.

And finally, Amy mentioned that you don’t have to go somewhere exotic to sketch nature, it is all around us. Look up at the clouds. I agree, anything is sketchable.

Saturday was perfect, with weather at 26 degrees in Melbourne. Although it was a weekend, school holidays had just finished and I hoped the crowds would not be there. It all worked out wonderfully. If there were busy areas, I just moved on.

Each time I visit the zoo I am drawing in an old ledger. It is larger than my daily sketchbook but not too heavy.

I sketched with my usual watercolour pencils. The ledger paper isn’t made for watercolour. I do not add the water at the time as I just don’t have the time. The priority of my visit is capturing gestures. Maybe next time I will add water to the page on the spot. Adding water to the pencil on the page or off the pencil works best on smaller areas. I would have to think about what parts of the sketch I would add it to.

African Wild Dogs. Their enclosure is often the first place I stop and I rarely see them. So when they were near the viewing section I made the most of it. There were two (of the four) and they moved around this area a lot. They have such an interesting body structure – really long legs. Often one sketch is the result of many walk bys by the Wild Dogs. The face on close-up is an example. Each time he stopped at looked in my direction I tried to add more detail. In the end, they moved to an area and we could not see them. Time to move on.

In the same section are the lions – there are two and they are usually sitting upon the platforms. They stay still and move their head a bit. This time I had a few sketches in progress where their faces were at a different angle. I could then add to a different sketch as they changed the direction they were looking.

Sumatran Tiger

Not all sketches can be completed to the degree I had hoped. This Sumantran Tiger was lying down under a tree and did not move. Most of his body was in the shade and it was in the distance. You get the idea.

Eastern Black and White Colobus. There were two. This is a medium-sized primate. These African natives are known for their shiny black coats and long flowing white mane that drapes over their back and tail. Oh So glamourous looking!

Northern white cheeked gibbon

There were two, in middle distance swinging around the ropes. Then they disappeared from view, only to appear on the glass window in front of us. You could see the details of his paws. amazing.

I took my pencil wrap with me with its 26 or so watercolour pencil colours. However, there were probably just two colours I used all day: Black and Burnt Ochre.

Oh and Violet for the Pygmy Hippopotamus. They are actually a greenish brown/black. I just chose violet. Pygmy hippos share the same general form as hippopotamus but is only half as tall as the hippopotamus. Adult pygmy hippos stand about 75–100 cm (2.46–3.28 ft) high at the shoulder, are 150–175 cm (4.92–5.74 ft) in length and weigh 180–275 kg (397–606 lb).

I am hoping to use my Zoo Member often. Yesterday I was there from 9.00 -2.30. Probably too much sunshine and standing ( I don’t use a chair). It is so easy to keep going as there is always something more around the corner.

It has been a while since I walked through my local Gardens to do nature sketching.

I collected all those lovely shells at the Gold Coast and was given a box of lovely nature objects, as well as finding dead insects. So many things to draw, but all stay at home.

This weekend I was handed the opportunity to get out and about with TWO online Nature Sketching Journal Clubs. First Melbourne with AmyDiana and then on Sunday Brisbane with Bethan Burton. They both followed a similar format of a tutorial and guidance and then we went out “in the field”, whether that was your houseplants, back yard, for me Fitzroy Gardens. There were people from around Australia and the world !

Thirty or forty minutes out, sketching or writing or whatever you were comfortable with. For me, it is sketching. It felt So good to be out. Then back to talk about our experience and what we noticed about our environment and ourselves.

Part of nature journalling is curiosity. I often wonder things in my head, but in these sessions I tend to write them on the page and actually follow them up by researching online. I have been in Melbourne for seven years and have always wondered about the markings on the magpies. I have been drawing them for years (see them here ) and did notice the difference between Sydney and Melbourne.

And now I know because I looked it up! basically

The two most easily distinguished magpies are the black-backed magpie & the white-backed magpie (in which there are nine subspecies)
The Black-backed Magpie
New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Northern Territory, Western Australia
The White-backed Magpie Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia.

Males: Males have a pure white on the back of their neck with no grey.
Females: Females have grey and speckled feathers on the back of their neck

On Sunday I joined the Brisbane Online group. In a similar format, this time the discussion was about Zooming In and Zooming Out. Zooming as in close-in and long shot, not what we call zoom now.(for meetings)

I chose a Moreton Bay Fig. I would usually draw the tree trunk (as I just love them) and then focus (zoom) in on some detail, maybe some lichen or fold in the tree. This time I chose to Zoom Out and show the tree in context, with other trees around it.

Once again. Once again, a lot of writing down the questions in my head. I was curious about the vines that dropdown. It seems that the Lord Howe form of Moreton Bay fig has a habit of dropping ariel roots from its branches. The type in the Fitzroy Gardens does not have the vines. I lived in Brisbane for many years and remember the New Farms Park Moreton Bay Figs – amazing.

I am looking forward to catching up with another online session. In-person would be amazing. One day…

I was looking through my sketchbook, deciding what to write about and show this week.

I am choosing pages that document a bit of my life. I don’t sketch everything, although it may seem as though I do. Sometimes I make a deliberate decision and other times it is just grabbing an opportunity. That is why I carry my sketchbook and watercolour pencil wrap with me everywhere.

I was very pleased and proud of myself to begin swimming again, I had to document that! I have been swimming almost everyday, but decided not to draw my swimming togs everyday. These sketches were semi-planned. I knew what I wanted to draw. YOu may have noticed that my sketching style is often the “unfinished look”. This often means I do not sketch a complete object. You all know that these are swimming togs, and I don’t have to have the full object on the page. It also meant that I did not have to add lots of solid colour for the blue of the togs or the black of the swimming caps. I can let them fade away at the edges. If I focus in on an area, I can also include more detail, which I enjoy.

I also went into the city for my Booster shot. It was at the doctor’s surgery so there were not a lot of people waiting. This was in my 15-minute wait after the shot. I did not know how long the people would stay sitting until their names were called. I just grabbed a bright coloured pencil and sketched them. Once again, documenting a moment with a passing opportunity. I would have added more detail if they had stayed longer.

This sketch below was more thought out. I attended by Zoom (we are all working from home) farewell afternoon tea for a lovely colleague who is retiring. It was BYO coffee and cake. I could have drunk from my normal cup and eaten something ordinary. I knew that I wanted to use and draw this lovely plate and cup set which I recently bought. I also bought a beautiful sweet treat that looked lovely on the plate. (I don’t eat sweets, so I did not eat it. ). The afternoon tea was very special. I drew this in the evening. Once again, I have the unfinished look, but you get the idea. I call this a drawing and not a sketch, as it is more studied. I make up my own rules on this!

I hope that this has provided a little insight into what I sketch, how I sketch and why.

All using Faber Castell watercolour pencils. Let me know if you have any questions

Why do you sketch what you sketch? is there a theme?

I recently spent four days at the Gold Coast, Queensland with friends. This involved daily walks along the sand. There are long stretches of beach, although most were closed to swimming due to the rough surf conditions.

Different stretches of the beach had different accumulations of shells and seaweed and other interesting things. Palm Beach was great, but close to Coolangatta and Greenmount, the beaches were empty of shells. The changing underlying sandbanks and rips make a big difference to the waves, and what they bring in.

As a child, on rare beach visits, I would be looking for the perfect shell. However, now I am so happy to discover interesting fragments. As a sketcher, their variety, shapes, and character are fun to draw with my watercolour pencils. They are also a tease as to the amazing whole shells that maybe be so close to shore, before being broken up in the ocean.

I collected about a dozen fragments, some sponges, and a small crabclaw.

The crabclaw NEEDED to be drawn straight away as it was SO smelly. It was 3cm x 3cm and I sketches it from different angles with my Lamy Safari Jy ink pen. I then put the crabclaw under my magnifying glass and had great fun looking at the detail and colour.

With all of these drawings from natural objects, my aim is to capture the character, not to create a still life. I try and show the impression of detail, without going into scientific detail.

I love the way that watercolour pencils allow me to build up the cours and then also add hard lines for detail.

I have just returned from almost four weeks of holidays interstate, reuniting with family and friends after a longtime.

I sketched a lot, but the focus was on being with the people.

I was posting some photos along the way of my sketches to Instagram and Facebook. I have a bit of a catch-up up now of scanning. Today I am resuming my weekly art blog and posting the last five days at the end of my holiday. It covers a bus ride from Toowoomba to Brisbane, a night with friends in Brisbane and then final days at the Gold Coast.

on the bus …

The Gold Coast. Various beaches

at Coolangatta airport

Overall, it was very comforting to return to some regular journaling subjects such as at the airport and on the plane.

I was given and collected SO MUCH to draw,

• from the beach walk shells and sea things,
• for Christmas a box of nature objects and also collected around the house and walks  – bugs and insects, feathers,
• some amazingly beautiful and obscure books to draw in ,
• and other obscure objects.

I have projects to keep me entertained for a long time. And I started back at work today so reality begins again.

I had to have a negative COVID test to be able to fly interstate in Australia (Victoria to Queensland) on Tuesday.

I knew that there would be a wait, and was prepared to sketch. I initially did a quick sketch in a fountain pen, then a second one.

I realised that I would be seeing the back of the same people for the entire wait. People did not come and go. The queue was in a laneway, so they just shuffled forward a bit at a time.

It was an hour to queue. I also did a slower sketch in watercolour pencil.

And I had a book to read.

The test result was negative.

I will next be sketching my travel clothes as I pack. It’s been a while.

There was not a lot of sketching last week, as I prepared for a local Christmas Market.

I did not take any photos on the day of the market set up. There was an official City Council photographer, but I am not sure if I will even see those photos,

Here is a link to an article that talks about all the different artists on display and photographs of the works. Much better than I could describe.

It was a beautiful day for being out and about in the gardens. There were lots of tourists and people walking in the gardens, as well as locals who came to visit. A steady stream of people visited and it was so lovely to chat to them.

Below are photographs I took as I set up at home in practice to see how to lay the cards and books out on the trestle table on the day, I did not have a table, but knew the measurements, so I cut a large roll of paper to size. This preparation meant that I could set up quickly on the day. Then I had to pack it all up. I have not had my books on display before, only cards, so it was a bit of an experiment. Books are very heavy to carry, even in a suitcase with wheels. Fortunately, it was local.

With this, life seems to be returning to some sort of normal.

It has been a while since I posted a step-by-step drawing.

Here is my coffee plunger. I drew this while I chatted to interstate sketching friends on Zoom. We talked for three hours, but this drawing did not take that long.

Faber Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils

• Walnut Brown
• Burnt Umber
• Black
• Burnt Ochre
• Cool Grey V
• Paynes Grey
• also Black coloured pencil

I roughly sketched out the shape and size. This time I used a HB pencil, just to make sure the proportions were right. I usually just dive in with watercolour pencil. I started to build up the colour, just to make sure I added it to the right areas. I tend to get sidetracked in areas.

I then build up the colours, as you can see. I try and make the dark areas very dark, with the black coloured pencil. It is harder than the watercolour pencils and can be sharpened to a hard point for fine lines.

I drew this after I had poured myself a coffee. I was very pleased with remembering to scan along the way.

here are some previous step-by-step blog posts

• drawing watermelon step by step
• drawing a bottle of ale
• drawing a bear – step by step
• drawing lunch step by step
• drawing a coffee step by step

I hope you enjoy seeing how I use my watercolour pencils for drawing, as well as everyday quick sketching.

This morning I spent four hours sketching at Melbourne Zoo. I am posting the photos of the sketches. I am taking an old, lined ledger to sketch in at the zoo. It is light and a bigger size than my everyday sketchbook. I used watercolour pencils, without adding water – no time!

There were many animals that were too far away or not around, so I choose those close. Some even stayed still for me !

Here they all are. There is so much I could write about sketching each of these, but this blog is two days late already.

The wombat was asleep and my absolute highlight of the day. Wombats are nocturnal, This one was in a zoo-built underground borrow. Right next to the glass viewing panel. They have never been there when I visited previously. There was low light, but I could sketch and observe up close. He was in the deepest of sleeps.

I am going to try and go back soon.