Sketching and a day trip

It's been a couple of weeks since I last posted.  I've been busy with more house decorating after deciding to carry the black, grey, and white accents from my bedroom throughout the rest of the house.  This meant a couple more, very quick abstract paintings and some coats of paint on some ornaments.  I've also been taking Andrea Joseph's Sketchbook Skool class - Creative Hand Lettering. I'm enjoying the class so much and I've already learned some new techniques which I'm very happy about.  I did this class mainly because I want to add a bit more pizzazz to the pages in my illustrated journals.  Some illustrated pages can seem plain and boring but creative lettering will take them to a more interesting level. I look forward to experimenting more.

In a recent blog post, Liz Steel talks about being satisfied with simple sketches which is something I need to do.  Below is a quick pen sketch I did on our trip to Wellington Point yesterday.  I tried to keep it very loose and simple which is very hard to do considering I'm pedantic about details.

And with a splash of watercolour 

I'm late again for Sunday Sketches but linking up anyways. 

To see the work of other participants for this week, click HERE.

Some of my letter play this past week 

And some pics from our trip to Wellington Point yesterday. 

It's one of our favourite family spots.  

The weather was perfect!

I have walked this jetty many times
and it is a part of memories I hold very dear.

The beach side of the point

The sea-breezes are perfect for paragliders

And part of a walking trail that we discovered after all these years.
That's Bradley, my eldest child who recently turned 33...
goodness, where have the years gone???

The Moreton Bay Fig trees are beautiful! 

These ones sit just up behind the beach.

I'll be back soon to share some pics of my abstract paintings...

Have a beautiful week!

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.