Sunday 17 April 2016

Calendar sketches and another family outing...

Another week is over and I'm pleased to say 
that I've been managing the calendar sketches daily. 
I've also discovered that it's not all that easy to sketch 
something tiny and detailed in such a small space.
Each square is 3cm which is just over an inch across.


I'm not using specific prompts 
just whatever I feel like sketching on any given day. 
However, some may have meaning  
for a particular day
....others not so much. 


For example, April 9th was a sketch of the gold and blue macaw 
we met at Currumbin...he is pictured in my previous post in case you missed it. 

April 14th is a white tiger cub because on that day 
my Granddaughter, Mikayla, introduced me 
to her new, white tiger cub plush toy. 
She named her 'Snowflake'.

April 15th, I decided to sketch a favourite animal 
of my other Granddaughter, Madelyn. 
She loves Pandas!


April 4th is an 'L' which represents my son 
getting his Learner Driver's Licence on that day. 
Congratulations, Aaron! 

April 13th, is a pig because I have always had a soft spot for them. 
You may actually guess that I love animals in general 
and I plan to paint and sketch a lot more of them. 

I'm linking up with Sunday Sketches this week. 
You can check out the other participants HERE


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Last Sunday, April 10th, was the first anniversary 
of my father's passing. 

We went to Wellington Point for a family outing 
with my brother's family and my Uncle and Aunt
as it holds many great memories 
for us with Mum and Dad. 


The weather was beautiful and we found a nice spot 
fairly close to the water. 


A view of the jetty from a distance

On the jetty




Views from jetty 

Boat ramps 

After lunch and a walk on the jetty, 
we went for a walk out to King Island across the sand-bar 
as the tide had gone out by then. 
Earlier in the day, this was well under water. 

Stopping for selfies along the way. hehe

King Island 

In 1887, King Island was formerly declared a reserve and protected by law
It is home to eight shorebird species and soldier crabs. 
Today, it is classified as a regional park 
and protected by the Nature Conservation Act of 1992.
The mangroves buffer the island against bad weather. 

Walking back to the mainland. 
That is Beau (my son), with Mikayla (my granddaughter). 
Alex (my son-in-law) and my other granddaughter, Maddy 
are following behind. 

The sandbar and a view of Wellington Point

Family selfie on King Island 

Family group 

Me with Mikayla walking across the sandbar. 

It was such a great day 
and I know Dad would have been proud. 

27 comments:

  1. your April calendar is fantastic so far, wonderful details in small drawings. Looks like a wonderful family outing, thanks for sharing!

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  2. HI Serena,
    I am back! :)
    I have missed you.
    King Island is a beautiful place. So nice to see everyone was having a fun time. Wow Mikayla and Maddy are so big! God bless them.
    I love your calendar with all the small sketches. Amazing...
    I just added a painting that I made recently to my blog. It is NOT as amazing as your work but I am proud of it. If you have time please visit and leave a comment. Would love to hear from you.
    HUgs

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    1. Hi Norma!
      Great to 'see' you again. I have missed you too.
      Yes, Mikayla and Maddy are definitely growing. Mikayla is in school now...Prep which is the year before Grade 1. And now, Michelle has Mackenzie who is just over six months old and a sheer delight. I'm glad you like the sketch calendar. It's fun to do.

      I went and checked out your blog. Lovely work, my friend!

      I hope to see more of you now that you're back.

      Love and hugs xo

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  3. Looks like a fun family day outside. And I am wow'd by your calendar daily drawings!
    visiting from sunday sketches.

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    1. Thanks, Juana. Glad you like the calendar. :)

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  4. How wonderful your drawings are! Such a precise and tiny format! I'm glad you and your family had such a nice day.

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  5. looks like a wonderful place to make new memories :)

    and your sketches are looking good, good for you for keeping st them :)

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    1. Thanks, Jen. I hope to see the month out at least...tiny details can be a strain on the old eyes. :/

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  6. Your calendar is absolutely spectacular. Congratulations to your son for getting hid DL. The family day at the beach looks like it was a big success. My family and I love the beach, but haven't' been to one in a while. Blessings!

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    1. Thanks, Arnoldo. Until January, I hadn't been near a beach in over seven years...it was so lovely to breathe the fresh, salty air again and hear the waves roll in. :)

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  7. Including drawings on your calendar that relate to your family is like a journal of memories. When you look back at it you'll be able to remember those moments.

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  8. Calendars sketching are well illustrated and so cheerful! Great idea ~ Lovely photography of loving family having fun!

    Happy Week to you ~ ^_^

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    1. Thanks, Carol. I hope you have a happy week too. :)

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  9. I love all the little calendar drawings. Are they about an inch square? They do look small to work on.
    What a great day! Wonderful pictures of everybody and the beautiful beach. Nice way to remember your dad!
    Have a super week, my friend. :)

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    1. Thanks, Rita. Yes, they are just over an inch square...I've since amended my post to say that in case others wondered about it too.
      It was a beautiful day spent with family.

      I hope you have a great week too. xo

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  10. wow Serena - love your calendar and the inspiration behind the sketches. And wonderful photos of you enjoying your family outing on the beach.

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    1. Thanks, Sandy. I'm glad you like the calendar sketches. :)

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  11. My goodness Serena, how time has flown by. I remember when Mikayla was born and how you were making little quilts, etc. Geez look at her now. What a nice way to pay tribute to your father. Looks like it turned out to be a really nice day. I love your idea on the calendar. Looks great. Good to see you. Happy that all is well with you.

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    1. Time sure does fly by, Gloria. Michelle has three daughters now and I love spending time with them. It was a beautiful day spent with family in honour of Dad's memory. Great to see you too. xo

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  12. Lovely photos and beautiful sketches. I admire your talent.

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    1. Thanks for visiting and for the compliment, Linda. :)

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  13. Great post, Mum! Always love seeing your sketches, I also like the calendar idea. I certainly enjoyed our day out at Wellington Point that day with everyone and the walk out to King Island was good too! Great weather. Great way to remember Granddad as he loved out there.

    Love,
    Brad xoxo

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    1. Thanks, Brad. It was a lovely day out. Granddad always enjoyed going to Wellington Point with us. :)

      Love,
      Mum xo

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  14. I love your mini sketches! They look gorgeous, so real and it sure is a great idea to remember the essence of one day.
    Looking through your photos I kept thinking 'this looks somehow familiar'. So, I checked and your in Australia, my second 'home'. I lived in Melbourne for three years and loved it so much, but it has been such a long time - sigh...

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    1. Thanks, Claudia! How cool that you lived in Melbourne for three years. I've never been there myself except for the confines of the Melbourne airport for an hour or so when we did an international flight transfer many years ago. :)

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