Nature Journal Update for August

 August found me all over the map, but I took my nature journal along for my travels and captured quick sketches along the way.  

Here's a walk through the pages of my journal, starting with the clouds out my father's study window:

And some lovely woods on a day trip with David:

Back at home, sitting in my backyard garden with my kitty, Miss Boo, admiring the blooming marigolds and a curvy Tromboncino squash growing on a trellis in my yard.

Imagine burying your face in the soft, sweet petals of a flower and nodding off to sleep!  For the bumblebee, it has nectar awaiting it for breakfast when it awakes.  Even bumblebees practice self care!

Butterflies & a stone wall in Raccoon Creek State Park's Doak Field:

The Tromboncino Zucchini plants in my garden have been growing lush on the recent rains:

And just yesterday, David and I went on a 5-mile hike & later a canoe ride at Raccoon Creek State Park.  The mosquitoes were biting, so we kept our water break short.  But, I managed to sketch this fabulous mushroom.

Our afternoon canoe paddle was interrupted by a brief thunderstorm.  We paddled over to the dock at the beach and tied up our canoe, spending the rainstorm under the cover of one of the buildings.  

The quickest of gesture drawings captures the memory of that hot summer afternoon on the lake.  I can return to the heat of August any time of year just by flipping through the pages of my journal.

Watercolor Sketching

During a recent Introduction to Watercolors class demonstration, I sketched a favorite subject -- a feather from one of my wild relations.  The turkey feather's bold contrasts caught my eye, and the adventure of following its contours and shapes captivated me.  I used Burnt Umber and Burnt Sienna with a touch of Ultramarine Blue to paint the feather.

A dark background of Ultramarine Blue mixed with a touch of Burnt Umber defined the whites of the turkey feather and popped the whole subject forward.  A sprinkling of table salt added the speckled & frosty look to the washes.  

 I recently hopped a plane to visit family, and took my nature journal along for the adventure.

I stayed at a charming Airbnb, and in the mornings, I drank tea on a screened in porch and sketched the lovely flowers on the grounds.   

Sketching in my journal is a way for me to slow down and ground myself.  And, I can record moments and experiences that otherwise would slip from my memory.  

When traveling, I find this moment of stillness and connection a valuable self-care practice.

Osher Figure Drawing with Model David

The last class of the semester brought us to the study of hands and feet with model David.  We warmed up with some 3-minute gesture drawings, and David gave us athletic and creative poses.

We moved on to practice drawing hands and feet, which are challenging to draw because of their complexity and expressiveness.  Picking up a paintbrush and small palette, David invited us to draw these familiar tools in use.

We moved on to drawing feet in action. Inspired by the Summer Olympics, David posed kicking a ball, giving us two angles to sketch in our 8-minute drawing.

We finished with a beautiful hour-long pose that capitalized on our practice of drawing the hands, the feet -- and the face.  A clever and expressive pose ideal for our studies!

Many thanks to David for his athletic & creative poses, and for always bringing us something different!

Osher Figure Drawing with Model Alexx

Our Osher Figure Drawing class had the good fortune to draw Model Alexx, who inspired us with her inventive poses and an expressive countenance. 

We started with 3 minute gesture drawings.

Now that we were warmed up, we moved on to study drawing the face.  I gave a demonstration of rules of thumb for drawing the head. 

Then, we practiced drawing Alexx's portrait from the front view. Alexx held her facial expression rock solid and still for us.

We moved on to draw a profile view.

We finished the class with a roughly hour-long pose,with model breaks of course, that incorporated the portrait.  Alexx gave us a dramatic & beautiful pose to work from.  

Many thanks to model Alexx for her hard work and inspiration!