HOLIDAY NATURE SKETCHING

We've just returned from our winter holiday to Tenerife where we stayed at Puerto de la Cruz.

I made a new sketchbook in preparation using one of my little weavings as the cover.  I took a small watercolour tin and collapsible brushes in a pen case with various pens and pencils with the intention of keeping things simple.

We had an apartment on the third floor of a block built into the hillside of the town with fabulous views towards Mount Teide and the sea if we craned our necks over the edge of the balcony. This meant that we were level with the treetops and had a ringside view of the parakeets as they came to feed on the nectar produced by the flowers of the coast coral trees.

They arrived in gangs and spent a lot of time squawking to each other as they fed then suddenly one would give a big shout and off they all went to find some more juicy flowers elsewhere.

The garden was filled with wonderful plants and trees and as this one was directly in my line of vision from my sunbed it was easy to draw as I listened to the birds singing in the afternoons.

Looking beyond the tree I could see an apartment complex across the road with fascinating architecture.

When we walked around the town I found lots of different seed pods to gather to draw on my return, luckily I always carry a plastic bag to put them in.  These large pods are incredibly hard, almost like wood and the pink peppers are fragile but very tasty!

We visited the botanic gardens one day and I was able to sit and draw this interesting specimen, tucked among the other plants which were much too complicated to add.

I took plenty of photos of the trees and the barks in particular as I want to make some textile art pieces inspired by the textures which are very varied.

Everywhere you go on Tenerife there are Bougainvillea plants in all shades of red through pink to purple and I just had to pick a few to include in my journal.  I learnt that the coloured part is a bract and the actual flower is the tiny white frill on the stem in the middle.

Mount Teide was ever present in the distance though often shrouded in clouds in the afternoon.  The best time to see it was morning when the sun shone and you could see the greens of the hillside in front and a few wispy clouds floating by.  At dawn the snow reflected the pink of the rising sun.

I started to use my multicoloured pencils in the third week and it's surprising how a change of medium can loosen up my drawing.  I had a lot of fun capturing the palm trees in the nearby park as well in the hotel garden.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Tigaiga suites and have already booked to return next year when I'm hoping to find more interesting things to draw in the hotel gardens .