It's been a while but I am back. There has been so much going on and so much stress in my life lately that I just had to get out and away for a bit and commune with nature. So, Sunday morning I skipped church and went for a real hike in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge near Lawton, Oklahoma. I had a wonderful hike even though the temperature was 102° and still climbing when I got off the trail and back to the car. (It was 108° when I got back home to Texas!)
This sketch was done at Post Oak Lake. While I was there I heard several large splashes in the lake below my rock perch but I couldn't see what it was -- I finally saw it was a Kingfisher fishing for lunch. Pretty cool. Other than the Kingfisher, I saw lots of bison, longhorn, some lizards and prairie dogs. Not much other wildlife though - they all had the good sense to be resting in the shade.
Water soluble ink & watercolor in the Moleskine sketchbook.
I love how this sketches conveys the mood of the landscape. What kind of paper is in this moleskin?
ReplyDeleteSounds wonderfully healing, Laura, glad you got away and VERY glad you shared it with us!
ReplyDeletea lovely landscape and I am amazed by the aminals you saw on the way ... bison, longhorn, some lizards and prairie dogs. Your description really adds to the overall sense of the day. It looks like a hot day too
ReplyDeleteI am not sure about the paper in the Moleskine -- it is a smooth and a medium weight and is an odd yellowish cream/ivory color. (It is definitely not white!) I really like the way it handles the pen and waterbrush but when I put watercolor on it, the color beads up and it is almost a little "waxy". I don't really know how to explain it really. It is much different than the Moleskine watercolor journal that I have been doing my insect drawings in... I much prefer the watercolor paper but I do wish that they would offer the portrait binding.
ReplyDeleteThat's typical of the drawing Moleskines...some people add just a touch of soap or detergent to their paintwater to keep the watercolor from beading up...
ReplyDeleteOooo I will try a little soap! The beading up has been bothering me but I have been trying NOT to be such a control freak and just "go with the flow" as it were. Ha! Thanks for the tip Kate!
ReplyDeleteLovely sketch! Glad you got to unwind a bit, even in the heat. It seems like there is so much stress everywhere now. I think the whole world could do with a long wilderness sketchcrawl.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a beautiful day for the soul.
ReplyDeleteLovely sketch. Thanks for sharing.