More 'Hut Hopping'

   While I was out tramping and drawing huts I managed to strain my knee and doing lots of walking on it made it no better. So we came home early as it was getting too sore to walk on anymore. I've been hoping that it will get better soon so that we can start 'hut hopping' again this month, but it is not going away in a hurry. It dose not hurt if I am not working it and just doing every day walking but once I'm walking for an hour or so up and down hills that's when it begins to agonize me. But I'm hoping for the best and planning to hitch down with Thomas around the 12th to join Caleb in Hawkes Bay and start drawing huts in the Kawekas. I rode an hour on the bike today to go and feed my horse Lady, (she is doing well and the stitches should come out in a few days), and it didn't hurt then which is a good sign

   But if my knee is still too sore by then to walk on, well, I just wont be able to do it... Sad thought indeed. I'm missing hut life. I'd like to live like that some more. I didn't have to think about anything but doing what I love doing most, drawing. It was nice to be away from the busy world and too be doing what I'd thought about and planned for so long. There is something addictive about long tramps in the bush and getting to huts and staying there a day before having another adventure getting to the next hut. I always thought that people who always go on long bush walks were crazy to keep wanting to go back for more punishment. I couldn't understand why people seem to love it so much, especially as I was walking up and down some pretty steep walks drop dead tired. But now I can't wait to get back out there. I never thought that the actual walking could be so enjoyable. But it is; through beautiful places, one foot after the other, lots of time to think about lots of things or nothing at all. Enjoying good company and having interesting conversations on the way, or concentrating hard on the footwork when the path got steep and tricky.

   I've just had a taste of it, but I've got myself hooked! I like tramping. I've become a hut bagger now, you can see all the huts I've been to here. Not many yet, but the list will grow considerably in the next few years.

   This was one of the hardest walks we did; to Motutapere Hut. Mostly because we were tired and it was a sweltering day. From where the photo is taken from we walked all the way in and up to the bush through the forestry which was incredibly warm! The bush was a cool relief and we walked along a nice path until we got to the top of the ridge and then to our dismay the path went steeply up and steeply down over and over again in quick succession. The path went over all those little peaks at the right of the photo. There were ten in all until we got to the hut. I never felt more glad to see a hut!

Motutapere Hut, 25 November, 2013. Charcoal on Strathmore toned paper.

Art of a Hut Tramp the First

   Hello! I'm back from my first Art of a Hut adventure. Caleb, Thomas and I spent three weeks tramping through the Kaimai and Urewera ranges. I did a lot of drawing and spent just as much time walking. I'm heaps fitter now, after the first week or so I was quite tired, but I quickly go used to it all.

Here is a link to my newsletter in which I've written a summery of how it all went along with some photos.

The Art of a Hut Newletter

  Here is a sample of sketches from my sketchbook which I took on the trip:

  Daly's Clearing Hut was the first hut we stayed at. It is at the top of the Kaimais. I really enjoyed the time we spent there the weather was beautiful. We visited the huge kauri trees nearby and swam in the river. And this is where I ate possum for the first time! Was really nice too, tasted like butter chicken!

   It was the weekend so on the second night we were there the hut was full of people. Several groups came and people were sleeping on the deck because there was no more room in the hut. Here we met a guy called Matthew who was training for a long endurance running race in the Sahara Desert. He showed us some useful map and compass skills which proved to be very helpful later on.

This is  a hut which we passed on the way to another hut. I began the drawing on the walk in, but it began to rain so I packed up and we walked on the next hut where we stayed. On the walk out again I stopped to finish the sketch. Thomas ran from there all the way back to the car to begin cooking the rice for lunch. On walking days time was precious because we had to walk all the way out from one hut, drive to the next carpark and walk all the way into the next hut and we never knew exactly how long that would take. On this day we didn't get to the next hut until 11:30 that night. Little did I know that as I sat on the damp grass sketching Skip's Hut.

   Several of the tracks to hut followed rivers or streams. Te Totara Hut was built right beside a river and I took the opportunity of practicing drawing water, rather tricky using a pen, but I learnt a thing or two.

Caleb did a lot of fishing for trout. But they were all pretty cleaver creatures and eluded his hook. Except for this one which we ate for dinner. 

  We would often read, write or draw by candle light in the evenings. I drew this on the last night we spent in a hut. We had ginger biscuits most evenings with our black tea. We looked forward to this and always made the most of our rations. I thought I would record the last ginger biscuit I had. We finished of our rations seeing as it was the last night.

It is really good to be home again and I've enjoyed Christmas with my family. 

It hasn't all been a jolly holiday though. Lady, the horse I've been training and hoping to sell cut open her leg on Christmas Eve and had to have seventeen stitches in to sew her up. So I'm busy looking after her and trying to keep her from moving too much. She should heal in a month or more and wont be lame at all, thankfully. 

Getting stitched up by the vet.

Old Homestead Drawing

Last Friday I spent the day with friends, actually I spent the day with my sketchbook drawing their beautiful old house. I sat in the doorway of the garage/woodshed on a pile of wood keeping half an eye on the rain cloud that threatened overhead. Fortunately it didn't rain; I drew all morning and part of the afternoon until I felt it had been drawn to a conclusion.  It was really nice sitting there drawing away listening to the conversation of the people working in the garden, and watching the doves alighting of the roof where they nest.

For this drawing I used an A3 sketchbook of off white textured drawing paper using an B4 graphite pencil. 

A New Start and New Ideas (In other words, I'm back!)

  Well, here I am again. I have taken a long unannounced break from the blogging world, but am back in full force, full of ideas and inspiration. It was good to have a break, sometimes the internet becomes so overwhelming I don't want to see a computer screen ever again. But I've run that out of my system and I'm excited about blogging again; sharing my ideas and learning from all my fellow artists out there.

   I'm finally discovering what the picture of my future career as an artist looks like and I am making new goals and exciting plans for the coming year. In fact it's quite a big project that a friend and I have hatched up. I wont say anything about it yet for it is barely a week old, but I will say it involves something like in the pictures below!

Pages from my sketchbook

Here are some pages from my sketchbook in response to Loriann Signori's challenge on her blog. 

I use my sketchbooks as places to scribble when I don't feel like doing a proper drawing but want to make marks with my pencil anyway. Or I use them it for daily sketching challenges which I love or preliminary sketches for more finished drawings or paintings.

 

This first photo is one of several I have done from famous paintings. I find the best way to learn more about a master's work is to copy his masterpieces. I discovered allot about 'In the Conservatory' when I did this page. And also about the artist. Art Project Powered by Google is a great reference for this kind of thing.

On this second page are a couple of sketches I did in preparation for a portrait of the girl. They were really helpful and decided me on the first pose as an open smile really doesn't look good in a portrait.

These last two are from a daily sketch challenge I set myself earlier in the year. I always find my hand eye drawing skills are given a huge boost after I draw heaps and heaps and regularly.

Pen and Ink Challenge: #1

My first page of sketches! 

I am using real pen and ink and it's quite hard to control as I haven't got used to in yet; unwanted blotches have a habit of dropping in from nowhere!

I have decided to fill one sheet of paper per day as I don't currently have a good sketch book to do them in. A clip board is easy to carry around. 

  I copied these girls from Heidi Grows Up by Charles Tritten. The illustrations are done by Pelagie Doane.

70 Day Pen and Ink Challenge

   I have been inspired by this blog post of Brenda Swenston's to begin a Seventy Day Challenge. Every day for seventy days I will draw a sketch in ink. I thought about allowing myself to sketch in pencil too but then I would always be rubbing out and what I need to practice is making accurate lines the first time. I haven't done allot of pen and ink drawings but I love them.

From the sketchbook of Conrad Martins (1801-1878)

Here are some of Beatrix Potters works.

  I will try to post my sketches every day; it will help to keep my standard up if I do, I don't want to get lazy and just do a quick scribble!

  While I was looking for images I came across this very fun pen and ink related page! Have a look.