sketching birds at the Australian Museum

I  spent a few hours at the Australian Museum in Sydney on Saturday and today. I wish I visited more often. I have a membership so can get in for free, so I should make effort to visit. The problem is  - to many wonderful things to draw, to many projects !

 

The Australian Museum

 

Although there are many wonderful floors to explore and sketch, I seem to always head for the Search & Discover Room . It is an information and resource centre. You have a chance to  touch and feel real specimens, and take them to a desk to position and sketch. I had SUCH a good time. Sometimes lines just flow from the pencil. It happened here.

 

I have sketched a few Australian birds before . As with any subject, the more you draw and really LOOK and SEE  it, the more understanding you have of it and the better you get.

 

 

 

 

I usually draw in a 13 x 19 cm Moleskine Watercolour sketchbook.  The only times that I want to draw BIG are at the Museum and the Zoo. So I took an A3 sketchbook this time.

I also took an old ledger that I had bought. I want to explore drawing on printed surfaces.

 

Currawong

 

 

He is almost all black in colour. but I decided to finish in this sketch stage and not "colour in"

 

A3 Arches 300 GSM Smooth Watercolour Paper

 

Pied Currawongs are found throughout eastern Australia. They prefer forests and woodlands, and has become well adapted to suburban areas. Throughout its range it is common and familiar. Average size: 48cm Source: http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Strepera-graculina

Their song  can be heard in Australian suburbs

Currawong

 

I sketched him again, but really  had to add all black otherwise he looked like a penguin with a white front.

 

 

magpie

 

The Australian Magpie is black and white. It is slightly smaller than the currawong  Its nape, upper tail and shoulder are white in males, grey in females. Across most of Australia, the remainder of the body is black. They are common and conspicuous birds.Australian Magpies are found wherever there is a combination of trees and adjacent open areas, including parks and playing fields. Australian Magpies can be very aggressive during breeding season and attacks on humans and pets can occur.

They have a beautiful song which I love to hear. It is a loud musical flute-like song, often performed as a duet or by groups

Source http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Cracticus-tibicen

 

 

I always draw in watercolour pencil. On this page I was showing another sketcher, Jane how I use watercolour pencils to draw and blend. I have been using them everyday for over five years and love what can be done with them.

 

see more of my nature drawings at https://www.flickr.com/photos/alissaduke/sets/72157620757803544/

feathers and nests at https://www.flickr.com/photos/alissaduke/sets/72157633270801883/

 

I draw lots of things and they all go on flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/alissaduke/

Lantana - Alissa Duke

Lantana - a noxious weed around the world.

This is from a vacant lot next door to me in inner city Sydney. But this is the same plant that I remember coming across when hiking in National Parks in Queensland when I was young. We would walk on trails, but these plants would be by the trailside, scratching and ripping at any bare legs, their prickly leaves sticking to jeans. All of these memories came back to me as I handled and drew it.

Acacia in spring - Alissa Duke

Acacia oxycedrus or Spike Wattle

I must admit that I had never seen one of these before (perhaps I was not looking very hard) . At first I thought it was a white callistemon , but a quick search corrected me. This acacia is a prickly, dense shrub up to 3 meters. The flowers are in cream spikes which occur in winter and spring. It is found in Australia in SA, Vic., NSW. This is from a local inner city Sydney area of land which , over the last few years, has been cleared of introduced species and weeds, and replanted with indigenous plant by our Landcare group, http://www.pyrmontultimolandcare.org.au/





I picked this from a shrub and put it in a glass of water at home. I sketched a bit on Sunday night and returned to it on Monday night to discover the flower spikes were beginning to blossum. This is truly a work in progress.

Australian Rockery plants at Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens

Sydney Sketch Club went to the Australian Rockery at the SydneyRoyal Botanic Garden. It is Spring here at the moment and some of the Australian native plants are in flower.

I drew Xanthorrhoea (grass trees) which are a unique Australian plant. They have a large base of grassy leaves and a long flower spike. As with many Australian native plants these plants can quickly regenerate after a bushfire, with new leaves sprouting from the blackened stump. The indigenous aboriginies used the spear shafts and also resin from the plant for tools.

As I drew this, I made notes on my page of all the sounds I could hear around me. Kookaburras, children playing and fighting, the tourist train, party boats on the Harbour, a helicopter, jetboats, tourists. sketchers chatting.. and in the moments of quietness I could hear leaves falling or the water lapping against the sea wall.



I then drew Gymea lilies



Kerry ( RBG staff) told me of the signifigance of everything in my drawing.

In the background, beyond Sydney Harbour are the headlands, where the ships carrying the First Fleet of European settlers arrived in Sydney in 1788.

In the mid-ground is the sea wall, a sandstone wall built in 1848 as about 3 acres of tidal land at the edge of the Gardens was reclaimed at Farm Cove.

In the foreground are Gymea Lilies, which are a plant of the Sydney region. They have a flower spike of about 6 meters, which flowers in Spring and Summer. They were used as a source of food for the indigenous Eora pople. They are now being used as indicator as part of climate change project as their flowering time is so precise.

Banksia & Grevillia - Alissa Duke

Grevillea and Banksia flowers

I picked these two flowers from a local area where weeds and imported species are being removed by the local Landcare group and the area has been gradually replanted with species indigenous to the Sydney area. See our Landcare website http://www.pyrmontultimolandcare.org.au/

Grevillea sericea "pink spider flower"
Flowers are this size. bush grows to 2 meters



Banksia intergrifoli. known as Coast Banksia - flower spikes are a bit larger than this size. The tree grows to 16 meters

Moreton Bay Fig - Alissa Duke

Moreton Bay Fig

I love to see these plants in Sydney parks, because they are magnificent AND because Moreton Bay is in the area of Queensland where I used to live. A little reminder fo home....

Ficus macrophylla is a medium to large, spreading tree 15 to 35 metres high with a similar spread. It often has a butressed trunk. The genus Ficus consists of about 800 species distributed throughout India, parts of Asia, the Pacific islands and Australia. There are about 40 Australian species most of which are found in tropical areas

The fruits are 20-25 mm in diameter, yellowish and turning purple when ripe. They occur on stalks from 10-20 mm long.

Moreton Bay fig makes an excellent, bushy plant for a large container but it should not be planted in the ground in a normal suburban environment. In the ground it develops into a tree with a vigorous root system - it is far too large for a suburban garden and can damage pavements and house foundations. It is an excellent shade tree for parks and larger properties and is widely used as a feature tree in parks and gardens around the world. (Source: Australian Native Plant Society http://anpsa.org.au/f-mac.html)

Wierd Tropical Plants - Liz Steel

I am sorry that I have been so slack in posting to this blog in recent times. Although it is a while ago, we had a wonderful 6 weeks of Garden Sketchabouts in the Botanic Gardens Sydney... as per these previous posts.

The last week was a terribly wet day so we ended up in the tropical centre. In all my years of visiting the garden I had never been inside...and was I amazed by what I discovered in there. So many weird and wonderful plants!!! Even the leaf shapes and colours were unusual.

It was a bit of a challenge to sketch inside in the tropical centre glasshouses because the air was so moist that my paints were very gooey and occasional random drips landed on my page from time to time - everything got wet and I managed to get paint everywhere!

This one, a tongue Orchid, native to Papua New Guinea caught my eye! Thankfully it didn't seem to be ommitting a putrid stench of rotting meats while I was sketching it!

Here are two links to more information... looks amazing when it is actually in flower
http://www.orchidsonline.com.au/node/651
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulbophyllum_fletcherianum

If you are interested in seeing all my sketches from the 6 weeks of Sketchabouts check the full sketchbook here. The architect in me was drawn to many of the buildings in the gardens, or the vistas and I didn't actually sketch that many individual plants! It was the most wonderful event and culminated in a 3 day exhibition of the best 30 sketches, and we are very thankful for the Gardens to have the vision to organise this event.

Royal Botanic Gardens Sketchabout, Sydney

Yesterday was the first day of the Sydney Royal Botanic Garden Sketchabout, where all of Sydney is invited to come and sketch in the Gardens with us .

The gardens cover 30 hectares in a spectacular setting in Sydney, right next to the CBD. It was established n 1816 and has a huge variety of plants and trees. Our little bit if nature in the middle of the city!!!

Sketchabout is happening each Satuday afternoon for the next six weeks as part of their Autumn of the Arts festival. We are encouraging people who attended to upload their drawings to the blog

We had over 40 people turn out on a beautiful sunny afternoon. After an welcome by Kerry from the RBG , Liz Steel gave an introduction and then we spread out through the Gardens, meeting up at 3pm to share sketchbooks and experiences. This is the first time that this has been held and we were very unsure as to how it would go. But the day was fantastic . It was especially wonderful to see the sketchers all chatting amongst themselves and members of the public at the end. Everyone found different parts and things in the Gardens to draw and explore - and that was what the Gardens wanted to achieve.

As I was involved in the event, I spent a lot of the time chatting to sketchers, but managed to draw a Moreton Bay Fig and also the fruits of the same tree. These were on the ground around me. They are eaten (half eaten) by the fruit bats that live in the gardens .

Moreton Bag Fig: Ficus macrophylla. Large spreading tree, epiphytic and strangling in early stages, trunks becoming massive with large buttresses. Distribution and occurrence: In coastal rainforest of all types,NSW Qld Vic

Looking forward to next week !!

Eucalyptus - Alissa Duke

Royal Botanic Gardnen- Sydney .

Eucalyptus maidenii, commonly known as Maiden's Gum, is a Eucalypt species native to eastern Victoria and southeastern New South Wales, Australia. It was named after the Director of the Royal Botanic Garden (1896 - 1924)

It grows up to 75 m tall. Its most distinctive and lovely feature is the bark that sheds to ground level, leaving smooth grey-white and smooth trunk. I love this texture and character this one has

The leaves are 15 to 25 cm long and when they a fall from the tree turn colour on the ground and,can be an assortment of wonderfully bright colours. But they are green on the tree.

I've been collecting and drawing gum leaves from this tree for an exhibition that is part of the upcoming Sydney Royal Botanic Garden Sketchabout . We also have a blog and I invite you to link on the site to "follow us on Google"

watercolour pencil and ink

A stroll in the Royal Botanic Garden , Sydney

Saturday was such a lovely day that I decided to take a walk from the Sydney Opera House and out to Mrs Macquarie Chair in the Royal Botanic Garden (RBG) and then around to the NSW Art Gallery. The Sydney Royal Botanic Garden is in a spectacular setting on the shores of Sydney Harbour, next the Sydney Opera House and the City.

The Gardens are a bit of nature in the heart of the city of Sydney.

The Garden covers 30 hectares and everywhere there are reminders of Sydney’s beginnings. The Garden is situated on the land of the Indigenous Cadigal people. This was where Australia’s first penal colony was established in 1788 when 11 ships, the First Fleet, carrying over 700 convicts, landed here.. In 1816 the Botanic Gardens of Sydney was founded on this site by Governor Macquarie as part of the Governor’s Domain. Charles Fraser was appointed as the first Colonial Botanist in 1817, establishing the Botanic Gardens as the oldest scientific institution in Australia. (Source: http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/)

FACTS

The Oldest pre-settlement remnant trees in the Royal Botanic Garden: Sydney Red Gum Angophora costata, and three Forest Red Gums Eucalyptus tereticornis

Oldest planted trees in the Royal Botanic Garden: Hoop Pine, Giant Watergum, both planted c. 1820-28 in the Palm Grove

Oldest plant specimens: collected at Botany Bay in 1770 by Joseph Banks

Wildlife: includes Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, White Ibis, Brush-tailed Possum, Flying Fox

Number of visitors: about 3 million (Royal Botanic Gardens) and 4 million (Domain) per year

And why am I sketching in the Gardens ???

I am involved in the Royal Botanic Gardens Great Garden Sketchabout, which is being held in March and April. They are calling on all artists aged two to 100 to join the Great Garden Sketchabout on Saturday afternoons or whenever you fancy a wander in the Gardens with pencil and sketchbook. Meet other sketchers to share your drawings and adventures.3.30 pm ‘show & tell’ at Garden Kiosk Follow the blog at gardensketchabout.blogspot.com/

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MY WALK

It took me two hours to do my walk and that's because I was drawing along the way. My first stop was the Queensland Bottle tree and then a Moreton Bay Fig. The bottle tree is named because is stores water in its trunk . They are not always as swollen as this one, and usually upright. This must be quite old , as its limbs have need to be supported by blocks put in by Garden staff.



Bottle Tree


Moreton Bay Fig

The Moreton Bay Fig is an evergreen tree that can reach heights of 60 m (200 ft).[The trunk can be massive, with thick, prominent buttressing, and reach a diameter of 2.4 m (8 ft). The characteristic "melting" appearance of the Moreton Bay fig is due to its habit of dropping aerial roots from its branches, which upon reaching the ground, thicken into supplementary trunks which help to support the weight of its crown.


I then stopped in the shade of the rock wall to take in the stunning view (and wishing that I had bought a picnic lunch- and sunscreen) The beautiful rock is a sandstone I believe.


and then finally out to Mrs Macquaries Chair . Named because 1816 Governor Macquaroes wife supposedly liked to sit here . It is a fantastic view of Sydney Harbour, city and out to the headlands.

Gum Leaves - Alissa Duke

Gum leaves picked up in the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. I sat down and drew the view of the city from the gardens last Saturday and picked up a few gum leaves to draw. I am working on a project where I want to have the gum leaf (or flower or bark) in colour/ detail in the foreground and then a view from the Gardens in the background. After many suggestions from the wonderful flickr and EDM community I have a few experiments to make with colour/ pencil etc. Here are two .

I love many colours of gum leaves . The colours seem to occur when the leaves have dropped onto the ground. Their bark can be spectacular too

gumleaf - watercolour pencil

background - HB pencil

gum leaf - watercolour pencil

background - Derwent Coloured pencil Blue Grey. Harder and tonal on left. Soft line on right

'Kangaroo at the zoo - Alissa Duke

I visited Taronga Zoo in Sydney on Saturday and spent the entire day sketching. I have mixed feelings about zoos . However, the educational value of them could be heard and observed in the many locals and tourists comments.

I am only posting my Australian animal sketches here. They were definitely in their natural habitat. We were there at midday, so most of the animals in the walkthrough bush area were laying down, resting in the shade. Even when they were resting the animals moved a bit, usually just when I started sketching them! But I was so happy to finally draw wildlife.

There were a few different sorts of wallabies and kangaroos and there was a guide to explain and answer questions


Here are my kangaroos.

birds at the Australian Museum - Alissa Duke

Today was raining in Sydney so I went to the Australian Museum to sketch. These are three birds that I am familiar with - the magpie is a bird that is seen or heard regularly in Australia and here in the city in Sydney.

Australian Magpie



Satin Bowerbird - found on SE Coast of Australia. They are glossy blue/black and build a stick bower on the ground and decorate it with blue found objectes such as plastic pegs, bottle tops , plastic straws etc. I had only seen these birds once or twice in National Parks when growing up. But now, my mother has one that visits her backyard (in a city of 120 000 people) . She leaves blue objects out for him , which he sometimes takes. I think this is very special. We don't know where the bower is.


Regent bowerbird - found in SE Queensland and NE NSW - I have only seen these in the picnic area of one National Park. You used to be able to buy seeds and feed them by hand. I looked on their website and they have a controlled feeding program where the birds come to be fed at specific times, but from feeding trays and not by people.

gum nuts and leaves - Alissa Duke

A twig of gumnuts and leaves that I picked up off the ground at the Blue Montains in the weekend.

The Blue Mountains is a two hour train ride from Sydney. The towns and villages inthe Blue Mountains all feel very European - conifers, azaleas, houses with chimneys (it snowed there very briefly on the weekend) . But when you look out over the valley and out into the distance it

is purely Australian ! The rugged cliffs, ranges and eucalyptus go on forever and are beautiful.

I didn''t get a chance to draw the mountains while I was there so I took this twig home and drew it. Not sure what type of gum tree - a very tall one is all that I can guess

worm - Alissa Duke

A worm from the Landcare garden site. I wheelbarrowed mulch at the Landcare site all Sunday morning. I took a worm and dirt home with me to draw. The worm is now living in a garden here.

Brushtail possum - Alissa Duke

This is a brushtail possum that I drew (watercolour pencil) at the Australian Museum last Sunday. The museum has an excellent education room with stuffed animals you can pick up and take to a table to draw!

This possum was staged climbing down a branch, hence his position on the page. He is about the size of a cat . I have often seen possums in the bush when camping in National Parks, however they are quite common around most cities, climbing onto balconies and verandahs in the suburbs, or in the parks.

I had great trouble drawing this and I did not realise why until I scanned it and saw that I was trying to draw on pastel paper (gggrrr)

Pittosporum Revolutum seed pod - Alissa Duke

This seedpod is from a plant from the local Landcare site (a group of local volunteers meet once a week to clear an area of land (next to a railway track) to clear the weeds, mulch the ground and replant with indigenous species. We planted this Pittosporum revolutum along with many other plants about three years ago. It is now almost as tall as me. Perhaps these seeds attract the birds, but they certainly look dangerous to me.

Magpie and Koala - Alissa Duke

It has been pouring rain over the past week in Sydney, so my Nature sketching has been indoors. The first drawing is of a magpie and was drawn from a photograph.















Yesterday I met Liz (Borromini Bear) and Wendy (Quirkyartist) at the Australian Museum for a day of sketching. There are taxidermied animals and birds in the Search and Discover Room that you can pick up and take to a table.


The subject I chose was a koala. The koala is an Australian icon. I have rarely seen them in the bush as they are always high up in a eucalptus tree and don't move much at all. The Museum was very busy (due to the rain) and the three of us drawing the animals attracted a bit on attention from the museum visitors.

Magpie and Papuan frogmouth - Alissa Duke

I visited the Australian Museum today specifially to draw a magpie as well as a tawny frogmouth (as I drew a feather of one last week) see http://www.flickr.com/photos/31752495@N03/4274959887/

They had a taxidermied Papuan Frogmouth there, which looked just like a Tawny Frogmouth to me. So I spent the morning drawing it as well as a magpie.

Crows Ash or Australian teak

I picked this up off the ground in Hyde Park,in Sydney city CBD, drew it and then had to find out what it was! I was Googling online with descriptions "pointy, spiky pod". I was amazed to find out it is Australian. I don't think I have seen it or heard of it before. I am learning so much as I draw.

Watercolour pencil on Moleskine