Not long back from a fabulous 3 weeks in South Africa. Very pleased with myself as I managed to do 5 little drawings. I took my lovely little Hahnemühle water colour book and a new Rosemary travel brush, that I got for my birthday, along with a small set of half pan water colours, a small tin of neocolor and my pencil case. I was not optimistic I would do anything so I am especially pleased. This little book has become a real favourite and it is now a definitive holiday companion. The paper is fabulous and, because of the way it is made, it opens up nearly flat. This enables me to stretch my image across the two pages. This also gives it an interesting format.

Two of my sketches are in a travel journal that I got as a gift years ago and eventually dragged on holiday. I even wrote in it every day!

I did this little drawing when on the beach with my family. we were staying just above here in a lovely house and went down every day. The drawing is pencil, some water-soluble, there is a watercolour wash and the neocolor for the white waves.

Sheffield Beach South Africa, water colour, neocolor and pencil

I visited Kirstenbosch Botanic gardens in Cape Town one day on my own and sat on a bench in the shade and drew the view looking up to the mountain. The next day I was in a guest house waiting to leave and had time to do a little painting of Crane flowers in the beautiful gardens. I used my lovely new brush for this and am very pleased with it.

Kirstenbosch, watercolour, neocolor and pencil

crane flower pencil and watercolour