Illustration + Nature Sketching
Last time, I took you with me on a day of field sketching rich with local plants and orchids. There were so many and the day became increasingly hot that I didn’t finish all my sketches on that day. So I took a few close-up photos and made some color notes, and decided to finish … Read more
I’m taking you on another field sketching trip today. In this location, I found lots of different wild orchids at the beginning of June, and I was happy to spend a long time sketching, so the video got a bit longer. You can follow me around the entire day while I’m exploring the area and … Read more
It’s time for another sketchbook tour, this one will cover the sketches I completed in the spring of 2022. One thing I’m noticing about my sketchbook work recently is that I’m drawing slowly and with more intent, and that I’m focusing more on each subject. From a naturalist standpoint, I welcome this, it means I … Read more
Over the years I have been asked repeatedly if I use different palette colors in different seasons. Usually my answer was no, because I very rarely change the “classic” color on my small palette, and this is a field kit that already has quite the large number of colors (right now: 20). But this year … Read more
Today I’m going to take you with me for a field sketching session. I’m drawing Early purple orchids on location and finish my sketches at home, where I also do a few experiments with ink. I’ve also changed a few colors in my palette and I’m talking about how that happened. Here’s the video: Sketching … Read more
Today I have something a bit different for you, a calm painting video in which I sketch apple blossoms. I enjoy spring time so much, the apple and cherry orchards are always breathtakingly beautiful when they’re in bloom – and it’s always over so soon! This year, I managed to paint some apple blossoms in … Read more
Last week I showed you how effective it can be to limit the colors on your palette for a sketch. I find it can be a good method to get better at mixing, and to really get to know your paints (or some colors that you have lying around that you don’t use enough…) As … Read more
Last week I rediscovered a landscape sketching video I must have made last year and totally forgot about. I remember the scene though, I took the photo I painted from later very early on a summer day, with morning mist still densely on the fields, and the sun just about to peek through. It was … Read more
Welcome to part two of this sketchbook tour with detailed nature studies. Part one can be found here. Here’s a video version of this post: Sketchbook Tour Fall ’21: Detailed nature studies (plants, birds, bats) | part 2 (video) Starting with common flax (Linum usitatissimum) I explored a number of meadow and field flowers. Flax … Read more
I’m currently working on a larger project of painting wildlife and plant illustrations for several information boards about local habitats. To prepare and learn more about some of the species I’m creating study pages in my sketchbook – several small studies of the species in questions, preferably from different angles, with additional notes and information, … Read more
I can see a large walnut tree from my window. Each fall, the local crows and jays find creative ways to get hold of and feed on the walnuts and it’s a lot of fun to watch them. Corvids are highly intelligent birds, and it’s fascinating to observe how they apply different methods to open … Read more
Here’s the next video from my landscape sketching series about folk tale landscapes. There is something incredibly eerie and unsettling about solitary houses in the woods. Even as someone who grew up in a small mountain town in the midst of a lot of weird buildings, I always found it a bit creepy to pass … Read more