St Neots plein air

I spent a pleasant couple of hours last weekend at Riverside park in St Neots. I don't often do landscapey type things, especially not plein air, but I really enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air, and I got to visit a place I'd not been to before (despite it only being a few miles from where I live, tut tut!)

Ink and watercolour, about 5 by 8"

Smart starling

Here's a watercolour I've just finished, inspired by a European Starling that sits in a tree outside my window, singing a good version of a car alarm...

and a few progress shots...

The remains of tulips

A guest staying with us a couple of weeks back very kindly gave me some tulips, which were gorgeous while they were flowering. Once they were past their best they were all the more interesting to draw!

Watercolour and coloured pencil, Stillman & Birn zeta sketchbook.

The fen owl

It's been a while, but at last I've made a new reduction linocut print, based on the short-eared owls at Burwell Fen...

A bit rough and ready I feel, think I need to get back into some regular printmaking!

Common reed

The first day of 2017 in my part of Cambridgeshire was cold, grey and wet. I decided to go for a quick run and discovered just how cold and wet it really was, battling through a headwind of horizontal freezing rain (who thought that was a good idea?!!) Back home I had a nice warm shower, got myself a cup of tea and settled down for a bit of drawing...

This is (I think) a Common reed (Phragmites communis) which I picked up when I last visited Wicken Fen a few weeks back. Coloured pencils in my Stillman & Birn zeta nature journal sketchbook, which is slowly getting filled up...

A happy New Year to all, here's to a healthy, peaceful and productive 2017!