This is part two of my mini series on pencil drawing. Part one was about the materials I use. You can read it here. In this post I’m going to talk about the inspiration for my drawings and how I record it so I can use it in my work. I find it easy to …
[This year I have decided to study two big Horse Chestnut trees near our house. This is Part 4 of my sketchbook-learnings.] In my March update on the Drygrange Chestnuts, it was all about the sticky hard buds that had been progressing all month. In early April those buds burst. At first they looked like …
The Drygrange Chestnuts Pt.4: April, Nests and Buds Bursting Read More »
[This year I have decided to study two big Horse Chestnut trees near our house. This is Part 3 of my sketchbook-learnings.] In my February update on the chestnuts I commented that I thought February was the toughest month of the year. Well! Hasn’t March been weird? This month the chesnuts have been in bud. …
Drygrange Chestnuts Pt.3: March, Buds and a Global Pandemic Read More »
We currently have a large group of Long Tailed Tits who come to the feeders every day to feast on the fat balls. They pop to and from the tree to the side of the feeders – some feed, some keep a noisy chattering watch from the tree. The best view of them is from …
Long Tailed Tits Are Rubbish At Social Distancing Read More »
[This year I have decided to study two big Horse Chestnut trees near our house. This is Part 2 of my sketchbook-learnings.] February was hostile. Storms everywhere, wet almost every day, icy winds. Not the ideal weather for visiting trees with the baby. We did manage a few trips along to check up on our …
I didn’t find as much time to keep my holiday sketchbook as I usually do! I naively packed lots of activities – books and drawing work and so on – thinking that there would be time for lovely hobbies on holiday. Of course, the baby doesn’t do quiet hobbies. I managed just three sketchbook pages …
Today, the first Sunday in May, is International Dawn Chorus Day. This day is an annual celebration of the peak of the spring dawn chorus symphony. All over the country there are early morning walks and events planned to celebrate the most magical of natural phenomenon. From 4am the countryside wakes up, one species of …
Easter is a time of renewal, hope and the promise of new life. Here’s some ideas for nature-themed Easter cards to send to loved ones. [The captions under the images are click-able] You can find all these cards, plus lots of other ideas for Easter gifts, in the shop. Don’t dawdle though as Easter is …
The bird feeders in the garden at New House are very busy. I call it the Great Tit Kingdom. The Great Tits are the majority party, and seem to rule the feeders. Then there’s the Blue Tits and Coal Tits who compete for space on a daily basis. The Nuthatches and Woodpeckers are more sporadic …
One thing we were delighted to discover when we moved into The New House was that the peanut feeders in the garden were frequented by nuthatches. They are a bird I’ve always admired but not known a great deal about so I decided to do some research. Here’s what I learnt: Nuthatches seldom travel far …