I have been thoroughly enjoying the process of filling in my etchr sketchbook which I took to Knepp for my safari. I took very few photos as I knew I wanted to illustrate instead, so even just having the experience of making a conscious effort to take mental notes and actual notes at the time, and relive the guided walk at my leisure has been a revelation.
I am almost halfway through so thought I would show you what I have done so far. I don’t normally work on such small pages, and I have always been stumped when having more than one sketchbook on the go, so another good thing has been the chance to have a designated book for this one event, and free rein to fill it with whatever I feel is relevant.
I have been working from memory combined with reference photos, so remembering a particular scene, and finding an image which roughly fits what’s in my head.
Here is a scrappy album of what I’ve done so far:
I will do a proper tour once I’ve finished. I’ve used gouache apart from the longhorn cattle where I used watercolour. I’m enjoying the page spreads, as well as cementing the knowledge I learned from Tom, the guide, on the walk. It will be such a lovely reminder of a brilliant day once I’ve finished, and it means my birthday present is still ongoing!
My next page is going to be Lesser and Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Here’s the former:
