ORCHID IN MICRON PENS

 

I decided it was time for a change of medium and picked out my coloured micron pens to draw my Phalaenopsis orchid which has just opened out a wonderful array of new flowers.  I had a lot of fun trying to depict the shadows in the blue and the red is obviously not the same as the real purply pink of the flowers but I'm very pleased with the result.

Sketching in the Field.... or Forest

Last Friday, my co-worker/naturalist, Kristen Marshall Mattson and I led a nature journaling workshop for members of Spring Island, South Carolina.  What a great way to start the day!   Walking through the woods, examining plants, sketching our finds, adding details, learning new things both art and nature related.  YUM! None of us wanted it to end :)

Did you know.....
White flowers are pollinated by moths? (the flowers show up better at night)
The purple flowers of wild ginger is pollinated by beetles?
That a hollow tree can still live and thrive as long as the outer 'living shell' is not compromised?

Bird Feeder Sketching

I'm so excited!  Our feeders are once again in place and the birds have found them. We are coming up on our second winter in this house.  I didn't want one more to go by without the joy of watching birds right outside of our window.

I've designated a Stillman and Birn Gamma Series Journal to record feeder notes and sketches.  I'm in heaven :)  Every spare moment I have on the weekends is spent at the kitchen table, looking out the window observing bird antics and sketching.  Sketching supplies include a pencil, Micron pen, waterbrush, watercolor pencils, a Sibley bird guide and binoculars. 

To read my notes, please click image to enlarge - this will work for all of them.

 So much nature happening at my window.  All I have to do is sit back and watch :)

Our neighborhood has a flock of turkeys.  Actually, the flock consists of a hen and 17 poults.  They visited the back yard off and on over the summer.  The poults are as big as the hen now and they, too, have discovered the feeders. They can certainly make a mess out of the mulch. 

Today, I was able to sketch while standing right at the window.  This requires patience as the birds are always moving.  Up to this point in my life I haven't had many dealings with wild turkeys, especially this close.  As I sketched, I noticed that they have a protrusion on their head between the eyes.  What's that called?  What is loose skin on their neck called?  Why do some have more feathers (very short but there) on their heads and necks?  I so love questions raised by looking close at a subject when sketching.  Off I went to my collection of bird books.  Please click on my journal pages to get the answers :)

I do have one correction to make.  The book I looked at said the loose skin on their necks is called a dewlap.  Friends in the know have told me it's more often called a wattle. 

I urge you to get your sketch books out and sit close to a feeder.  You'll come away quite refreshed and peaceful.  Great food for the soul.  And, remember.... this is your journal.  This is where you practice observation and trying to recreate what you see.  Accurate sketches may not happen right away, but over time you will see your progress.  One of my goals is to practice the camera technique.  That's when you view a bird pose, close your eyes and don't open them up until you turn your head to face your sketch book.  Then sketch what you saw from memory.  I'm having a bit of trouble with this.  Most of my trouble comes from not trusting myself.  The tufted titmouse on the first image is sketched using this technique.  'Oh well!'  Next time I might remember more :)

Wood Storks

We are fortunate to have an active rookery where I work.  A visit to it the other day was a feast for my eyes and ears.  In the lower vegetation, egrets are nesting while the wood storks cover every available branch in the upper canopy, clapping their bills in a courtship ritual. 

I'll always remember the delightful sounds of this moment when I see this ever so basic journal page.

Happy Spring

With muck boots on, off I went into the woods that flank the east side of our home.  We always have deer in our front and back yard.  I wanted to see where they live.  This is a good time of year to traverse the woods.... no bugs to speak of and that particular morning was cool enough that I didn't think any snakes would be out.

I photographed the page-in-process as I sat beside the marsh watching a few Little Blue Herons and Snowy Egrets feeding.

All in all, a delightful Sunday morning walk!

Happy Spring!

A Fairy Clothesline

Recent winds rearranged a clump of hanging Spanish Moss into a clothesline.

Can't you just imagine little fairies hanging out their skivvies to dry?

Happy March!

Port Royal Cypress Wetland Trail

In the town of Port Royal, SC, they recently completed a boardwalk trail surrounding a natural cypress wetland area that is located in the middle of town.

I took my workshop students there to sketch yesterday.  This is my demo page created in an 8.5x11 Stillman and Birn Alpha journal.

Bald Cypress trees remind me of dancing ladies, their wide trunks looking like hoop skirts.  The tree on the right and the Spanish Moss were painted with a large round Pentel waterbrush.  I find that if I load the brush with pigment, then touch the brush to a Bounty paper towel to get excess moisture off, I can achieve a dry brush effect.  The pen sketching was done with a sepia colored 005 Micron pen.

Here is a short video about the wetland.  

A Nature New Year Wish for You!

Wishing you a year filled with happiness, health and the joys of getting out there and Sketching in Nature!

Here is my first sketch of the new year.  This Live Oak has amazed me for a few years.... finally sketching it today! The angle of the winter sun really showed off the tree's form.

I'd like to thank Kate and all of the contributors that fill this blog with such stunning work. It's an honor to be included in this award winning group :)  Thank you Katherine Tyrrell!

All my best,
Pam Johnson Brickell

High in Cotton

Yes, the Lowcountry of South Carolina and many southern states in the US were once 'high in cotton'. This plant has an incredible history all over the world.

A week ago, I had my first one-on-one with a field of cotton.  The private island I work on used to be a cotton plantation.  Now to honor those roots, a field of cotton is cultivated yearly.  It's such a joy to have access to all the wonders on Spring Island.

I had no idea about the wonderful architecture of the plant.  I picked several cotton springs but what really caught my eyes were the pale yellow flower blooming out of a three-sided leaf-like structure that has long thin fingers. I brought my treasures home and put the flowering branches in water.  After a few days, the pale yellow flowers slowly started to turn the same crimson color of what I now know is called a 'square'.  I found a great website that explains the life cycle and gives the names of the various parts of the cotton plant. A 'boll' forms from the flower and it takes 24 days to reach full size.  An additional 24-40 days is needed for the fiber to fill with cellulose and the boll to open.

I'm tickled that the cotton plant came into my life at this time.  It has such a rich history.  A special plant for a special day!

Happy Tree

Autumn colors still strutting their stuff here in the lowcountry of South Carolina.  Lots of trees have lost their leaves but the Crepe Myrtles are now fire orange.... yum!

This little Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis L., struck me as happy with it's branches reaching toward the sky. It's smattering of leaves like icing on the cake :)

Fish Haul Creek Park

click to enlarge

At long last a few hours away that made me feel like I've had an entire weekend getaway!

Fish Haul is on Hilton Head Island, SC and borders Port Royal Sound. It's a birder's paradise and an ecological wonder. Every SC Low Country Master Naturalist class gets a field trip here and is warned not to get stuck in the pluff mud.

When Rob and I arrived just before 5 p.m., the tide was on its way out. I set up my chair facing east and reached in my bag for my supplies when I discovered I'd left my travel watercolor palette at home! Luckily the Pentel pocket brush, Micron pen and waterbrushes were there.  A black and white page was not what I had in mind on this beauty of an autumn day, but it did give me a chance to finally play with the Pentel brush. 

We spent about an hour on the beach. The receding tide moved out quickly and shorebirds that had settled on the highest ground at high tide took flight several times, moving farther out into the Sound, landing on newly visible shoals. Pelicans, gulls and skimmers filled the sky! Great Egrets started to collect just past the large rock eddy. They know there's good fishing in shallow tidal pools :)

I love the time of the 'long shadows.' The colors of the marsh grass, ocean and sky were incredible... so many shades of green and blue. But, oh the bugs! AT 5:45 p.m., it was as if someone turned on the bug switch. Boom! They were everywhere. No-seeums, mosquitoes and whatever... Dang.  Driven off by insects.

Sketching Water Birds at Pinckney Island WMA

I had the good fortune to meet and bird with Kelly, of Red and the Peanut blog this week. I sooo love meeting blogging friends :)

Our destination was Pinckney Island Wildlife Management Area, Hilton Head Island, SC. This wonderful place is just about 6  miles from my house and I'm ashamed to say I just don't get a chance to go there that often. We walked to Ibis Pond. Kelly has a keen eye and pointed out many a bird treat.  The first was a Boat-tailed Grackle, Quiscalus major, nest built within the cattail reeds - a beautiful, deep structure constructed from dead cattail reeds and woven into living cattails.

Kelly captured this sketching moment for me :) My scope is just in front of me. I love sketching with a scope. My sketching combines both blind and modified contour techniques.

The Grackles were flying above us, sounding like helicopters. Just as I was about to move on, I saw a Grackles beak rise above the side of the nest!

I moved a bit more to the left and started to draw a pair of Ibis. The Funky Ibis on the left side of the page was totally blind contour.... thus it's beak is a bit on the funky side :) This one was perched above and to the left of a nest, the other laying on the nest. Just when I was going to start sketching the Ibis on the nest, they traded places. Dang... But, it was fun to see the changing of the guard :)

Then I spotted two juvi Tricolored Herons, Egretta tricolor, with fantastic 'bad hair' heads. Oooo they are so fun!

We moved around to see the more densely populated trees. Just amazing. Kelly said the bird numbers are actually down from her visit here last year.  We are in the midst of a drought which directly affects nesting. I can't believe how much the cattails have filled in the pond since my visit in 2009.  It's a wonder there's any open water. 

Here's a taste of what we were viewing...

White Ibis, Eudocimus albus, in rookery

This short video of Little Blue Herons, Egretta caerulea, shows adults flying in to feed their babies.  Immature Little Blues are always white. Their feathers will start to darken after their first spring. You can distinguish them from Snowy Egrets, Egretta thula, by noting coloration of their beak (pale grayish green) and legs (pale dull green). I shot this with my little Nikon Coolpix.  I so love this camera :) Kelly's doing most of the narrative. She's so funny!

And, the completed journal page... I added color at home.

It was so good to finally meet you, Kelly!! Let's do this again :)