A Yellow Cockatoo Feather

A yellow cockatoo feather I found has made a nice addition to my collection on our windowsill. Using here a Faber Castell Pitt marker pen, a tool I abandoned some time ago in favour of the more difficult-to-use Fude ink pen. It was an unexpected pleasure to use the old marker pen again today. So easy to use compared to the Fude but of course I don't get the variation in line width. A successful sketch nonetheless.

The blue tile was given to me by an Urban Sketcher from Portugal I met in Singapore in 2014. The other tile was a gift from Ash who bought it in Singapore last year. 

Yes, that is a teeny tiny succulent growing in the tiny pot. 

#fabercastellpittpen, watercolour, #stillman&birn Beta Sketchbook, 7.5”x 7.5”.

Christmas Decorations on The High Street

Christmas decorations on the High St, Berwick even made The Age newspaper recently. The owner of local restaurant Bodega On High and partners donated $300,000 to give the local community a photo-friendly Christmas hub in the garden strip that runs along the main thoroughfare of the suburb. 

I went to sketch the decorations on 2 consecutive days but on the second day, before I could finish, lo and behold the removal people arrived in 2 big trucks and all their moving equipment! Well if you can’t beat them, join them. 

#sailorfude pen, watercolour, #stillman&birn Beta Sketchbook, 7.5”x 7.5”.

A Trip to A&E

Sketching sure is my best panacea for anxiety! Sketching on location at A&E, Mulgrave Hospital. 

No need for details here except to say J has recovered well after 10 stitches to his head and 10 more for his ear after an altercation with a door frame and some furniture. Just before Christmas is the best time for such shenanigans. 

An injured foot is still needing the physio's attention. 

#hahnemuehle soft cover sketchbook A6.

Surfers Paradise Trip

I really have been soo tardy in keeping up this blog due to one thing and another. Better late than never so here goes with a short post about our short trip to Surfers Paradise last December. 

I won't go into the cancelled flight (after we had checked in), spending the night at brother-in-law's as it was too far to go home. Delays on the replacement flight the next day, our disappointment with Surfers Paradise, delays on the way back...and J coming down with a bad case of flu after we got home. He probably picked up the flu bug from sharing our flight home with a plane load of sleep deprived coughing schoolies! 

Surfers Paradise is in the northern state of Queensland where tourists go for sunshine, beach and night life. 40 years since we were last there and this trip didn't make us want to go back again. Thankfully the ALS conference J attended was more successful than he expected. So from that point of view it was a trip worth making. 

I'll just share my 2 favourite sketches from the trip. 

Firstly, Castaways Cafe. There was a cold wind blowing (even at Surfers!) and the lunch was an uncuttable slop of a nightmare.

Macintosh Island Park was a lovely oasis, away from the high rise of Surfers Paradise. It sits on a canal from the Nerang River. Large shady trees, streams, it’s a bird sanctuary. We had peacocks walking all around us…and lots of ants! A Bush Turkey kept us company. 

I rather like my choice to do the watercolour background first and the ink drawing over it. Reflective of the restful experience. 

#sailorfude pen, watercolour, #stillman&birn Beta Sketchbook, 7.5”x 7.5”. #macintoshislandpark

Drawing People

 I've come to love drawing people when I'm out somewhere. My aim is to do it with as few lines as possible. Frequent practice is I think making me more proficient. My tools of choice in these situations is just a marker pen as mostly I have to "down tools" as soon as I'm called.

Here's some sketches done in my physio's waiting room, while waiting for a flu shot at a healthcare clinic and during a seniors club's monthly meeting.

Marker pens, #handbookJournal 5.5" x 5.5".

Trumpet Vine

This is the first time in a few years that our Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicands) has flowered! This year we delayed our yearly pruning till end of winter instead of late autumn so as to enjoy the showy red flowers. It's strange that it flowered in winter when it's described as a late summer flowering plant. It's one of several plants in our garden which have bloomed at the wrong time this year. Are our plants disorientated due to climate change!?

Here's a photo of the tangle of woody vines against our garden wall. 

With aerial roots and native to USA, it's now possibly naturalized to Australia. The Trumpet Vine is a potential invasive weed!  I can attest to this nasty behaviour as it had overtaken our herbaceous border when we first moved in, with suckers emerging some distance away. I spent many hours on hands and knees keeping them contained. Its creeping woody vine climbs up our brick garden wall and gives a nice display.

Recommended pruning in late winter/early spring.

I drew this in July (mid winter) but didn't colour it in until today 2 months later (from a photo reference). 

#Sailorfude pen, watercolour, #Stillman&Birn Beta Sketchbook, 8.5 x 5.5".

Winter Tree in Pioneers Park

Two down, two more to go! I promised myself I would sketch this magnificent tree in Pioneers Park, each season. Here is my second (winter) sketch. This was done on the 5th day of spring but it can pass as a winter sketch as the tree is still bare. 

Try as I might, I have succeeded in showing its size but not quite succeeded in showing how it towers above me with its magnificent height! 

The first sketch I did of this tree (shown below) was done in autumn. I'll have to sketch it again in spring and summer.

I wish I knew its name and age. The local council has not provided any information on either! 

#sailorfude pen, watercolour, #stillman&birn Beta Sketchbook, 7.5”x 7.5”.