Everyone is welcome to participate and practice their DRAWING skills, especially newbies.

Remember the basics: find the shapes, negative space, darkest and lightest points.
Use any method or medium. Use of pastels, watercolor, computer tablet, photoshop etc. is fine.
Recommended materials: graphite, coloured pencil, pen and ink or charcoal.

Folks enjoy knowing how you achieved your effects, including how long the drawing took.

Try to capture the "essence" of the subject matter.
Sometimes this can be easier done with just a rough sketch than a technically fine realistic drawing.

Have fun and be creative! You decide how challenged you want to be.
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These are photographs from my trip to South Africa eighteen months ago. Hope you enjoy them!
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Baobab Tree and watering hole at sunset, Botswana. Myth states the gods were angry with this tree for giving false testimony so pulled it up and stuck it upside down in the earth. Elephants tear open the trunk for source of water during droughts.

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Xhosa (Kosa) child, Transkei region, South Africa

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Whale watching, Hermanus, South Africa

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Hippos with oxpecker birds on their back, Zambezi River near Victoria Falls. Hippos are the most dangerous animals in Africa as they kill the most people.

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Xhosa Huts made of mud, dung, straw. Oftentimes tires are placed on top to keep birds from nesting on it.
Birds are discouraged because their droppings cause plants to sprout therefore destroying the roof.

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Yellow Hornbills, Botswana. These fearless birds would steal the toast from camp.

Wow those are absolutely beautiful pictures Marisa........I hope to try one.

I am envious of your trip, but look forward to sharing these photos through common passions of drawing!

I tried the khosa huts. I was gone for the weekend and all I had was my crossword puzzle pencil..

I love all the pictures. They are so beautiful. It's hard to decide which one to draw. I love these challenges. Everyone does a great job of hosting and drawing.. Thanks everyone for all your work..

Great pics, MM!!! I hope to have time to do one this week.

Cyn, beautiful job on the huts, that crossword pencil does some pretty good work, either that or its the artist...ehehehe

I really, really like these wonderful photos, especially the one with the bird which is absolutely great

This week I don't have time to draw anything new .. I just need to finish my drawings and other projects ....... and why not, go to school?

Cyn's drawings are always very nice, no matter the resouces

Glad everyone is enjoying the photographs. I carried a rather heavy telefoto lens with me to Africa which enabled me to get some nice closeup of birds.

Lovely work on the huts with your crossword pencil Cyn.
The perspective of the receding huts is down pat and the light source shines.

Thank you everyone.
You sure make me feel good about my meager work. And I totally forgot the window. Duh!!
You are all sooo talented. And I love you all dearly..

Oh yeah.. I did have a q-tip with my crossword puzzle pencil.. And my fingers.

nice job Cyn ....I am going to work one of these photos in ... i think its awsome to see photos like this .. the water fall is beautiful .. thou I am no good at drawing water , That photo is my favorite .

A crossword puzzle pencil and a q-tip not only do I love Cyn's drawings but she always puts a smile on my face...way to go Cyn Kid!

I really love the picture of the tree, especially how bright the sun is!

Lovely images this week. What a fantastic place to visit.

Cyn, the huts are fabulous. Very well drawn.

Feint, beautiful drawing of the sunset. Isn't it pretty?

I did a quick sketch of the Xhosa child at lunch today. This was on computer paper and took about 20 minutes. I hope to flesh it out a bit more or transfer it to a decent paper.

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Love your drawing Jeanette!

and a big welcome to a freind of mine Feint ....beautiful drawing, I am so glad to see you here!

Jeanette question for you...when you say transfer to decent paper ... are you talking redrawing it ?

Thanks Brian!

That's what I meant Kim. I would transfer the outline of the image to a clean sheet of good drawing paper and redraw it if I want to keep it.

Computer paper,while its ok paper, its not a 'keeper' paper as it hasn't got much tooth to it and isn't acid free usually so its ability to remain the same over time is suspect.

Feint: That's a nice closeup of the baobab tree. Your crosshatching gives the tree a personality that reminds me of the Ents from "Lord of the Rings".

IslanderNL: Your Xhosa child certainly looks wistful. Good capture.

@MM: Thank you, crosshatching is my favorite way to shade

A 20-minute hornbill.
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Finally, I get to draw something with eyes again (after all those durn seashells!) Hurray!

I love your photos, Marisa, and am impressed with everyone's drawings.

Especially your hornbill, Ernest. That's the one I am working on, though I have had very little time this week so far and still have little more than a basic outline. Ah, well, it's a start. :-)

Marilyn

Well I have started, but that is as far as I have gotten!!!!

DH built a HUGE easel for me this week, and I have been having fun having fun helping him out and finding a place for it!

Hi Everyone....

Love the photos this week and the drawings so far. Thought I would try the S.African child Xhosa although the pose is a bit tricky for an amateur. Done with hb and 3b graphite pencils on average smooth sketch paper. She is so beautiful.

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Maire

Oh, Maire, that's a beautiful drawing! I love it!

Fabulous Maire, you're really caught the likeness.

That's beautifull! I love how you changed the eyes to look right at the viewer, it's perfect.

Thank you Ernest, Jeanette and Lycaryth....

She could probably steal a few hearts, couldn't she?

Maire

Ernest: Great job on the 20-minute hornbill. Your contrast is as bold as the bird.


Maire: What wonderful texture and depth on your Xhosa girl.
How did you get the hair so lovely? Were you using squirkling?
What is the original size of your drawing?

Here's my version of the little girl in 30 minutes.
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Hi All,

I sure love your drawing Maire! you sure have a way with those pencils of yours.

Ernest....great hornbill ...and nice 30 minute portrait....if I spent 30 hours on that one it would still come out looking like a Cartoon.

I had one of those very stressful days at work today and now after reading Cyn's winter post.... she is a dear friend.

So I find drawing to be the best stress reliever for me and tried a quick sketch of the Yellow hornbill and naturally my yellow friend.

Ernest....Your Xhosa girl has such winsome eyes...what a quick draw!

Brian David...Woodstock looks so cozy under the protective eye of your hornbill.

Brian, is that colored pencil? The color-blending on the bill is really great and I love the different feather textures.

Ernest - Nice girl. Wow, I don't know how you did that in 30 minutes. I found it a difficult pose and started it twice.

Brian - Thank you my favorite fan. Now, about your hornbill, it's wonderful!!!!

Marisa - Thanks. Glad you liked my Xhosa. It is a terrific photo to start with. The pencil painting was done on 8 1/2" x 11" sketch paper (the largest size my scanner will take). That hair almost screamed for squirkling as they call it here - a lot of half-squirkles where the pencil pressure ebbed and flowed to catch the shadows. With much less pressure, that circular motion filled in all the exposed skin too.

Maire

This is my attempt at the huts.

All I can say is WOW! What a bunch of great talent here..

In spite of my wrists, I can't sit and not draw. So I had to try that adoreable girl..

Wonderful photograpy, by the way....

Taz: Lovely huts, your illustration would look wonderful in a children's book about Africa.

Cyn: Nice attempt at the girl, you even got her feet in the picture. My mother would have approved.

Thanks Maire! my heart is right back at you. I am so glad you are back drawing again.

Thanks Ernest......Jeanette always told me it is a great practise to try different mediums.....and this is quite an experiment for me.....I am also using a better quality paper now and that is Strathmore Bristol Vellum on this one....I find fantastic for blending and dry media. I used a combination of prisma color pencils, conte pencils, pastel chalk pencils, some black ink mostly on woodstock and a 4h graphite pencil.


Fantastic drawing of the huts Taz..!!

and Cyn manages to pull off an adorable portrait.... with sore wrists to boot.

and I forgot to say thanks to our wonderful host Marisa.

Thank you Marisa and Brian. Everyone is doing a great job on these pictures. I tried to do the Baobab Tree.

Cyn and Taz - All your drawings are so good this week - Marisa's excellent photos for reference methinks. I started doing the tree too, but it's not as easy as it looks.

I was doodling tonight with the pencil and I don't know why I started on the hornbill. It's way out of my comfort zone - birds are not my thing as you will see, but here it is anyway.

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Maire

Taz: Your baobab looks spooky to me. I like how you diffused the images in the water's reflection.

Maire: Nice fluffy bird you got there, great job on the feathers...just add a highlight in the eye and he'd come to life.

Wow! Maire.. The feathers are wonderful. It's a great bird. I wish I could do that well with something out of my comfort zone.

Thanks Cyn and Marisa.....

Marisa - Not certain I want this beautiful thing to come to life - but of course you are right about the eye. Here's an update.

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Maire

I saw no color, and still it is beautiful.

The wings remain motionless but yet can appear life like.

The drawing is soft shows passion and detail.

Hey every one!.... look over their, who could this be but no other then Maire..


oh another great one Taz!

I liked the pattern and sharp value contrasts on the hornbill. I decided to try drawing it with lines, but without outlining. I squished the bird a bit, but think it was a good first try.
Beth

Pumpkin: Nice capture with minimum line. You certainly found the horn in hornbill.

Brian: You almost rendered a haiku....
I saw no color, yet beauty
I saw motionless wings, yet alive.
Drawing soft, passioned, detailed
Who but Maire?

I thought I would go ahead and try to do this bird. It isn't as good as Maires, but it would be hard to top that one. These were some great pictures to draw. Every one did a great job on them all.

Taz: Your hornbill has panache!

I am SOOOOOO sorry this is coming in late, been busy doing other art stuff that I forgot until today

Well I managed to do three of these gorgeous photos, unfortuently I did NOT do them justice and I am really sorry about that!!!!

Anyway, each took about 15 mins using Stardtler pigment liner (0.3mm) in journal.

THANKYOU for looking!!!

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WOW -- you were ambitious and all done in an etching style. Bravo.



I hope to see more drawings today. Feel free to submit them late. It's been a lot of fun seeing everyone's slice of Africa.

THANKYOU for the lovely comment, I wasn't going to post, as I figured it was poor compared to others, but I don't post, I would not learn!

Stacey: Never judge your work against others!

As when one takes a photograph, it's your Point of View that counts.
One learns by doing and trying. It's your act of creation which is unique to you.

You may feel your picture "works" or doesn't, but it's the process that counts.
If you feel something doesn't work, ask for some constructive criticism.
I'm sure folks here will help you out.

Hi Marisa,
I just love the picture of the Hornbill. I thought he would make a great addition to my sprites so I am currently working on that in MS Paint. I have been saving it every once in a while so I can show the process. This picture shows where I am with about an hours work. The colour right now is just for defining space, not the colour that will he will end up.
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