Apple-Pine: sketching in nature

Showing posts with label sketching in nature. Show all posts

On My June Sketching Calendar: Egret Rookery

I keep a sketching calendar - it is a simple table where each cell is dedicated to a month and where I keep a list of things I might enjoy sketching that month. My June so far was not how I envisioned it, and I missed a bunch of things, but here is what I did not: an Egret Rookery! It is a very strange place where egrets of all kinds put a few odd sticks between branches of sycamore trees and call them nests. There are snowy and great Egrets, and night and blue herons (though I've seen only one blue heron so far). They walk around the area on the ground and fly around the trees, all this is accompanied by hilarious sounds and growing evidence of the presence of wildlife: remains of uneaten fish and such. I recommend wearing a hat, stretching your neck, being OK with constantly moving subjects, and getting a low ground position if you want to sketch.

I took my friends to see it for the first time, and we sketched for a bit. I am hoping to go again soon - before all the younglings are off the trees.

Dragonflies this year

There always were dragonflies around here - but this year it feels like they are everywhere! Dragonflies bump into me when I bike, they zoom by and pass when I run only to make a sharp turn and head the other way, they accompany me on my walks. But they are always too fast for me to even think about drawing them!

Today I found a dead one and in perfect condition. I was voted out on taking it home with me to draw so I crouched on the sidewalk and spent a nice thirty minutes looking at this beauty.

I learned something about the tulip trees...

I love tulip trees (Liriodendron) - the shape of the leaves most of all probably. Large cup-like flowers with intricate shapes and crazy pattern, a lovely set of colors. The almost cone-like seedpods. Pointy remains of seed pods that make a naked tree look even more interesting than just a naked tree. The shape of the overall tree - it's awkwardness without leaves and might with them. How much shade it gives. The fact that they are related to magnolias.

But one thing always bothered me - the sticky sap on some of them. But not on others. I never could figure out the pattern, then remembered to search online and...

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Morning sketchbooking - I learned something about the tulip trees today... #tuliptree #tuliptreeflower #sketchbooking #sketchbook #liquidwatercolor #visualjournaling #visualjournal #nature #naturesketch #naturesketching #drawtolearn

A post shared by Nina Khashchina (@ninaapplepine) on May 22, 2019 at 10:32am PDT

"Tulip tree aphids (Illinoia liriodendri) commonly feed on the underside of the tree's leaves early in the growing season. Aphids feed on tree sap and cause pale, yellow spots on leaves and may also make leaves curl or pucker and distort blooms. The insects ingest more sap than they need and secrete the excess as honeydew, which leads to sooty mold."

Sketchbook #115: Trip to Europe - Part I - Ukraine (urban nature)

I continued collecting and drawing treasures during the trip - there was so much life in the urban landscapes I visited! Some of it tried to bite, some came out after the rain - if you click on the images you will know more :)

Sketchbook #112: California Poppies

California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica - a state flower of California) are amazingly bright. I always try to go on a hike and see them in the wild - on the hills or in the fields. But I find the best outcroppings by a highway or in a city - the closer to a road the better. I am not sure why.
I find myself sitting by the traffic painting and drawing these amazing shapes at all times of the day as they are beautiful when they are closed and open, young and old, singular flower or a whole meadow.

Sketching While Scuba Diving: Roatan 2012

On my recent trip to Roatan, Honduras I decided to try sketching underwater - meaning sketching while scuba diving.

During my preparation for upcoming Alaska Adventure I learned about Rite-in-the-Rain papers - and ordered their large spiral bound sketchbook (by the way - great people - ready with recommendations and excited about their products!).

After trying out all my Alaska gear I realized that 8.5 x 11 is too large for my purposes (drawing in a kayak) and me and my e-xacto knife quickly made two books out of one :)

So my main secret is half of the Blank Polydura 8.5 x 11 Sketchbook from Rite-in-the-Rain.
Other equipment included pocket on my belt and pencils: I tried regular #2 as well as 4B carpenter's pencil.

I sketched on total of 6 dives and learned a lot!

First: drawing required better buoyancy control and awareness of environment. I got better but I need more :)
Spare pencil was very handy - I managed to break one - not sure how :)
I attached a string to my pencil - it's still underwater somewhere :( But pencil surfaced with me :)
Sketching fish and underwater life is FUN!!!
You can get close to your subjects!
Many of them are like kids though - moving all the time ;)
Hence some pages were built gradually - adding bits and pieces or making one page out of several pieces of the reef.
Carpenter's pencil was good for drawing motion - but too fat for details or notes (see below).
It's good to have everything ready for the large subject (meaning turtle or eagle ray are not going to wait for you to get your sketchbook out. OK - may be turtle will :)
I added more and more notes as I continued my experiment but I should add even more - about depth, subjects, time etc.
I WANT COLOR!!! (so next time I am taking a couple of color pencils with me ;)

I think this is it :)

One of my scuba-buddies took a photo of my while working under water - I will add it here as soon as I have it ;)

This is first dive: carpenter's pencil.