Tag Archives: African field sketch

Generic Giraffe & Other Pitfalls

Field-sketches-by-Alison-Nicholls

After sketching in the African bush for a number of years, I know the shapes of many of the commonly seen species. Right now, from memory, I can create a quick drawing of a giraffe, elephant, lion, leopard, painted dog, cheetah, kudu, impala, spotted hyena, buffalo, gemsbok, zebra, wildebeest, white rhino, baboon or aardvark (OK, I’m kidding, I’ve never seen, let alone sketched, an aardvark).

This knowledge helps me immensely when I’m sketching in the bush and catch a brief glimpse of activity that I want to capture in my sketchbook. If I see a young elephant chasing guinea-fowl or lion cubs pouncing on each other, a particular turn of the head or twist of the body might attract my attention so I quickly sketch it, but then, using my knowledge of the anatomy of the animal, I can add further details to complete the sketch.

But recently, I questioned whether this knowledge also leads me to sketch a generic giraffe, a standard spotted hyena, a basic buffalo or a common cheetah. Am I now doing what I always tell students to avoid – drawing what I think I know instead of what I see?

If I do fall into this trap (it happens to us all at times) then at least I’m aware of it, so this year in Africa I will be tutoring myself as well as my students. We’ll just have to see who follows instruction better!

Do you have any bad art habits you are prepared to share?

Go on, make me feel better.

Alison

www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com

Painted Dogs AND Wolves – 1 Night Only!

Dr Greg Rasmussen of the Painted Dog Research Trust in Zimbabwe will be speaking at the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, NY, about the challenges faced by painted dogs (African wild dogs) and how research can help conserve the species. After the lecture you will be able to see more charismatic canids in the shape of the resident gray wolves at WCC.

A painted dog (African wild dog) and an Arctic wolf.

I recently spent some time with Dr Rasmussen in Mana Pools and I can promise you this evening will be a fascinating one. You will also have a chance to win a framed copy of one of my recent painted dog field sketches, valued at $140, which I am donating for the evening.

Painted Dog Pack At Rest Field Sketch by Alison Nicholls

So join me for this fun, informative and inspiring evening!
Alison

Saturday February 20, 2016 from 6-8pm.
Wolf Conservation Center, South Salem.
Registration is required as seating is limited. Price $20 per person.
50% of proceeds will be donated to PDRT and 50% to WCC.

www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com

African Wildlife Sketch #18 – Mana Pools by Alison Nicholls

This is the view from Nyamepi campsite in Mana Pools, looking across the Zambezi River. It is a place where you come face to face with Africa’s big game. On several occasions we had to leave our chairs to make way for elephants, and once we had to give way to a hippo. Hyenas were seen by torchlight, baboons and vervets were frequently present during the day, and on the 1st afternoon, lion and buffalo were spotted from the camp. On our last morning, a pack of painted dogs were a 1 minute drive from the campsite. I was surprised that during the course of this sketch I didn’t have to give up my chair to make way for a passing elephant! If you look carefully you will see a couple of vervet monkeys in the sketch, but other than that it was a quiet afternoon for Mana Pools!

Mana Pools Field Sketch by Alison Nicholls

All my field sketches, are created in Africa directly from life, or sketched back at camp purely from my memory of sightings. They are completely finished in Africa and I use no photos or video reference at any time in their creation. It is always tempting to add finishing touches back in the studio, but I avoid this to ensure that my field sketches really are field sketches.

The Original Field Sketch is watercolor & pencil on watercolor paper, 11×14″, priced at US$300.

A donation will be made to African conservation from every sale.

Until Nov 22, I will be sharing 1 of my new African field sketches every day. The new sketches are shown to my newsletter readers a full day before they are shown here. Click here to Join my Mailing List and see the sketches as soon as they are released, or see them here 1 day later.

Wherever and whenever you see them, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them.
Tomorrow’s sketch is of a lion pride.
Until then…
Alison
www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com

African Wildlife Sketch #12 – Bull Elephant Drinking (Sold) by Alison Nicholls

From behind, an elephant can appear to be just a very large, fairly indistinct, object because most of the details – trunk, ears, tusks etc – are at the front end of the elephant. To indicate that this is a sketch of a bull elephant, I needed to include just a glimpse of the trunk, tusk and ears, but this was a difficult angle to sketch, because the elephant constantly lowered and raised his trunk to drink. As I began the sketch I was hoping he was planning to drink for at least a couple of minutes, so I could finish the sketch. Luckily for me, he obliged. I used the bold color scheme to emphasize the bulk of the bull elephant by first painting around him, then adding touches of color on the elephant to highlight the important details of his tail, spine, trunk and tusk. I think the combination was very successful!

Bull Drinking field sketch (Sold) by Alison Nicholls

This Original Field Sketch is Sold, but Limited Edition Giclées are also available, priced at US$120 each. Only 10 copies are available, printed using archival inks on watercolor paper, 14×11″, all signed and numbered by me.

A donation will be made to African conservation from every sale.

Wherever and whenever you see them, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them.
Tomorrow’s sketch is of a 2 cheetahs preparing for a hunt..
Until then…
Alison
www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com

African Wildlife Sketch #11 – Carmine Bee-eaters by Alison Nicholls

It was incredibly windy on the morning I saw these Carmine Bee-eaters nesting on a flat riverbank in Linyanti. It was so windy that I couldn’t even begin to sketch them, so instead I concentrated on memorizing their stunning colors and trying to figure out if I could even create these colors from the very limited palette I have available in my field sketch kit. After a few minutes we moved away and stopped for morning tea and even though the wind continued to blow, I got out my paints and huddled down next to the vehicle to create this sketch. Although it may be far less dramatic and detailed than many of my other field sketches, the fact that I managed to create this sketch at all (and get close to the stunning colors of these amazing birds) makes this quite an achievement in my eyes!

Carmine Beeaters by Alison Nicholls ©2015

These field sketches were created during my Aug/Sept 2015 African trip. All my field sketches, are created in Africa directly from life, or sketched back at camp purely from my memory of sightings. They are completely finished in Africa and I use no photos or video reference at any time in their creation. It is always tempting to add finishing touches back in the studio, but I avoid this to ensure that my field sketches really are field sketches.

This Original Field Sketch is watercolor and pencil on watercolor paper, 11×14″ and priced at US$300.

A donation will be made to African conservation from every sale.

Wherever and whenever you see them, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them.
Tomorrow’s sketch is of a bull elephant drinking.
Until then…
Alison
www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com

African Wildlife Sketch #9 – Lioness Asleep by Alison Nicholls

Lions, being large predators, are able to sleep mostly where they like (usually a shady spot) and for as long as they like (usually all day). They may be disturbed by elephants or buffalo, but most things don’t bother them. So they make for great sketch subjects. And this lioness had chosen a scenic spot, with mokolane palms in the background. Perfect!

Lioness Asleep Field Sketch © Alison Nicholls 2015

Lioness Asleep Field Sketch, watercolor by Alison Nicholls

This Original Field Sketch is watercolor and pencil on watercolor paper, 10×8″ and priced at US$180. Limited Edition Giclées are also available, priced at US$70 each. Only 10 copies are available, printed using archival inks on watercolor paper, 10×8″, all signed and numbered by me.

A donation will be made to African conservation from every sale.

Wherever and whenever you see them, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them.
Tomorrow’s sketch is of painted dogs (African wild dogs) playing after a successful hunt.
Until then…
Alison
www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com

African Field Sketch #3: Painted Dog Pack At Rest by Alison Nicholls

Painted dogs (African wild dogs) are one of the most intriguing of species, and one of the most difficult sketch subjects in the African bush. During the day they tend to lie in the shade, and they have such a lean build that when they lie flat out, they look pretty flat! Once they have finished napping, the pack becomes alive with activity – stretching, yawning, greeting each other, playing, then they are off on a hunt and virtually impossible to keep up with. However, during my September trip to southern Africa, I was lucky enough to see 4 different painted dog packs and spend considerable amounts of time with them. This sketch was created after the pack had hunted, killed and eaten an impala. As they rested for a moment nearby, I got to work!

Dog Pack at Rest Field Sketch by Alison Nicholls ©2015

This Original Field Sketch is sold, and this painted dog pack is currently trotting off to their new home in North Carolina! However, Limited Edition Giclées are also available, priced at US$120 each. Only 10 copies are available, printed using archival inks on watercolor paper, 11×14″, all signed and numbered by me.

A donation will be made to African conservation from every sale.

Wherever and whenever you see them, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them.
Tomorrow’s sketch is of a pod of hippos.
Until then…
Alison
www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com

African Field Sketch #2: Elephant Drinking by Alison Nicholls

Sketching a drinking elephant from this angle can be difficult, as you can see straight into the elephant’s mouth, and there is some serious foreshortening on the trunk. But I decided to go ahead, and I thought the 2nd elephant, facing the opposite direction, made this an interesting composition. The browns and greens reflect the colors of the water in the muddy waterhole, and there is always a blacksmith lapwing (plover) present at every waterhole, so I added him too.

Drinking Field Sketch by Alison Nicholls

This Original Field Sketch is watercolor & pencil on watercolor paper, 11×14″, priced at US$300. Limited Edition Giclées are also available, priced at US$120 each. Only 10 copies are available, printed using archival inks on watercolor paper, 11×14″, all signed and numbered by me.

A donation will be made to African conservation from every sale.

Wherever and whenever you see them, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them.
Tomorrow you will see Painted Dogs (African wild dogs)!
Take care
Alison
www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com

Want To See My New African Field Sketches?

All my new field sketches have now been scanned and I am ready to show them to you!

I will be releasing them on my blog and on social media, one every day, for 3 weeks, starting on November 2nd.
Why November 2nd?
Because before I put them online here, I will be showing them to my newsletter readers – starting on November 1st. So they get to see them a day in advance.

If you also want to see them on the day they are released, use this link to Join My Mailing List. Or, you can wait to see them here. But some of them may be sold by the time they are posted here…

Shown above is a montage of a few of the new pieces you will soon see in detail. All my field sketches, are created in Africa directly from life, or sketched back at camp purely from my memory of sightings. They are completely finished in Africa and I use no photos or video reference at any time in their creation. It is always tempting to add finishing touches back in the studio, but I avoid this to ensure that my field sketches really are field sketches.

Remember, if you want to see them on the day they are released, you can Join My Mailing List. Or, you can wait to see them here, a day later. Wherever and whenever you see them, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them!

Until November 1st…(or 2nd)!
Take care
Alison