Late Summer Dragonflies and Ripe Fruits.

Over the past month I have been watching dragonflies on my local patch and was surprised to find a few species hunting and hawking quite far from any substantial water! They seemed to like to rest at times among leaves and fruits and this gave me the idea to sketch them as I found them and to indulge in some coloured pencil technique. I used graphite pencils to create tone and depth and then built up layers of colour on top using Faber -Castell Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils. They can be easily blended with or without water and give brilliant, vibrant results! Its as near to being a child with a box of crayons again as I can remember? Totaly absorbing! Whenever I see ripe fruits and berries I cannot resist them and have to draw or paint them immediately! This year has seen a bounty of Hawes, sloes, heps and berries as well as a larder full of acorns, nuts and seeds and the winter thrushes have arrived in force to gorge themselves! I found some succulent apples hanging so heavy on the tree that the branches were arching almost to the ground! I only hope I have done them justice in my drawing?

The first frosts will signal the end for the dragonflies but not before bowing out in a blaze of glory! I hope you enjoy looking at my next two sketches as much as I did creating them?
Lynn has started radiotherapy treatment and seems at long last to have made giant strides forward in her battle with breast cancer! The prognosis is good and we are optimistic and looking forward to a positive future and being rid of this awful disease. She can walk further now and has a sparkle in her eye! We try to go birding as often as we can and we relish every moment!
My next sketch is of a Garden warbler that caught my attention one morning in my own garden as it foraged and flitted from leaf to branch almost un-noticed and silent! It stayed for a couple of days and then moved on giving a brief but joyfull interlude for which I was most gratefull!

I am always fascinated by bird migration and somewhat envious of the power of flight and the freedom it affords the feathered multitudes that come and go every season. The great journeys that birds make and the vast distances they cover are a constant source of wonder and amazement to me! Warblers are so tiny and seem so fragile and yet they always return each year from Africa and fill our hearts with joy! I know they face many grave dangers en-route yet I cannot imagine life without them? They are a constant source of inspiration and challenging subjects to draw?