Walking not sketching

Yesterday, at last, after watching and sketching from the sidelines in previous years, my husband and I took part in the annual Walk the Talk, now the biggest sporting event in the world with 50 000 participants. We only did the 5km route, which was so easy and pleasant, we wished we'd registered for the 8, or even the 15km one - we're fitter than we thought! This is the third time I'm blogging about this event, which means A Sketch in Time is almost three years old! I sketched at the starting line, thinking I might try along the way as well, but it was hard enough staying with my husband, so I only took out my sketchbook again at the end, where a band was entertaining the crowd, and there was a climbing castle for the children. I added colour to these afterwards - the original line-only ones are on Urban Sketchers.

I painted a little watercolour study later of the lady in red and yellow -  she was having a great time dancing to the 'Golden Oldies' music the band was playing, but then a man who was watching over my shoulder asked if he could show his friends, and proceeded to show everybody who I'd sketched, including her, which I'm afraid inhibited her for a bit after that.

Big Birds

At last my studio has had a good clean up and there is once again space to spread out paper and paint! It's quite a time since I've attempted a 'proper' watercolour so I went back to Hazel Soan's lessons, tentatively finishing my lioness - not wanting to spoil the textures of the dropped in washes and overwork it, but not sure if I've done enough to call it finished.

Then, on a roll and remembering how much I enjoyed painting single ostriches with minimal brushstrokes I searched for these photos I took last year in a mountain pass in the Cape, (I think it was the Barrydale Pass, but we weren't too sure where we were at the time!) when we stopped the car to allow a ...flock?... of ostriches to be herded down the road - not to the B&B where it looks like they're headed, but into the field next door.

I had an idea in my head of the ostriches forming a unified shape with many heads and legs, like this photoshopped version... but the necks and heads looked weird (dancing cobras?) so I added a background - too quickly and impulsively! After all the fast sketching I've been doing, it's hard to slow down and make a carefully considered painting. I do want it to look fresh and loose, but also have believable looking birds and not cartoon characters! It needs some variation in colour too, I think I might try it again.

Back to the Birds

After all the visitors, colour and excitement of the football, back to normal life, whatever that is - and some quiet time in my studio. I've been sticking fruit in the bare branches of the plum tree right outside my window, and birds have very quickly become expectant about finding more there every morning. I set up sketchbook, watercolours and pen-and-ink ready to sketch them yesterday - the movement of my hand dipping pen into the ink chased the crested barbet (middle) away so I had to do that slo-o-ow motion the next time he arrived. They are comical little birds and sometimes chase each other around on the ground, tumbling and chattering with their feathers fluffed out, like clowns with mad, bad hair. But this one was shy - so in between visits I sketched the blackeyed barbets (oops, I meant bulbuls!), who aren't as bothered by me staring at them through the window - nor by our sluggish old dog trying to catch some feeble winter sun under the branches!

Thanks to everyone who has been so encouraging about my World Cup sketching! I think I took a little leap in sketching fast and wildly in public and it was great to have your support :o)

Makarapa Men

The World Cup is over, and South Africa is a bit deflated at the end of a magical month. It has flown past and I'm already feeling regret for not having got out and sketched as much as I would have liked to - but on Saturday I went to Melrose Arch where I'd heard supporters of the teams in the final were gathering. There were a few fans wandering around, but I found this 'flash shop' - just open for a short time, where township artists were making makarapas, the iconic converted miners hard-hats that have been creatively worn to local soccer matches for many years - first created by one Alfred Baloyi after watching a bottle flying through the air during a match in Soweto. Makarapa is the Xhosa word for migrant workers in the mines. They've been a huge hit with tourists, along with the raucous vuvuzela (pleas for the banning of which have fallen on deaf ears, ha ha) and these men have turned out many of them. At the shop you could design your own makarapa and they cut it out for you, and paint it, though they were so busy that I painted my own design of... tah rah... an Urban Sketchers makarapa!! Lucas, the man in the middle of my sketch, loved it and is thinking of doing a city themed series. While waiting for it to be cut my husband and I had lunch and I sketched the busy piazza outside. I'm sorry I couldn't get near to the final match or the stadium, but... Congratulations to Spain!