Red Panda - a mixed media drawing

 

Last December we made the best of the weather and we visited 'Diergaarde Blijdorp' on a nice Saturday. There were lots of restrictions due to the Covid pandemic, but the animals were there and those that like the colder weather were outside. 

One of my favourites is the red panda (Ailurus fulgens) and when it was walking outside I made some pictures, hoping for the best. This one was the best, the other pictures had the panda with its head in the other direction, so the face was not visible. This picture was not perfect either, the panda was walking so there are some parts that are not as clear as I hoped them to be.

For this one I decided to make a mixed media drawing, using watercolour for the background and the big trees where the panda usually goes for a good nap. I also added the tree stumps and some bushes behind the red panda.

I left the shape of the red panda white (not painted) and used watercolour pencils and Graphitint pencils to draw the walking panda, the grasses, herbs and fallen leaves on the ground.

The paper I have used has some structure and that is still visible where I used my pencils.

Once again the conclusion has to be that I need more practice, but I have no problem with that. I love red pandas so when the Zoo can reopen (after lockdown) I will certainly be back to make more reference pictures and in warmer weather I make sketches on the spot.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work can be found in my Tumblr blog

The park of the zoo - Planckendael

The park of the Zoo usually has a lot of inspiration for me. Of course I go to the Zoo for the animals, but the park with its trees, bridges and other landscape elements also has its charms. This scene was inspired by a view in the Zoo of Planckendael (Belgium).
I was inspired by the view of the bridge, surrounded by all those trees and bushes so I took some reference pictures, not knowing when I would use them for a painting. 

We were there in the summer of last year and the reference picture shows lots of greens, but today I was in a mood to paint with Earth Colours. I have added blue and violet for the shadows and the bridge.

Once again I have painted atmosphere, not all the details. All of the foliage is suggested, as are the trees in the background. Even the tree in the foreground and the bridge are not  as detailed as I would have done a few weeks ago.

More information about this watercolour painting (size, materials used, contact information, availability, etc) can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com 

Blijdorp Zoo - at the Terrace

Each year I make a visit to Blijdorp Zoo in Rotterdam with my mother. We like to walk there and watch the lions, tigers, giraffes, polar bears, elephants and.....
The area is not only a Zoo, but also a botanical garden and we enjoy the trees and bushes as much as we like the  animals.

This time the weather was a bit cold, so we entered one of the restaurants for some coffee. This restaurant is part of the 'Rivièra Hal', one of the National Monuments in Blijdorp Zoo. We were close to a window and had a nice view of the Terrace and especially on one of the old plane trees (Platanus). As we were waiting for the coffee, I took out my sketchbook and pencils and started to draw what I could see. Of course I had finished my coffee before the sketch.
Behind the tree was a part of the edge of the Terrace  visible. Like most of the architecture in Blijdorp Zoo, this is also beautifully designed.

I have decided to draw this scene using charcoal and my Tinted Charcoal pencils. The addition of some colour makes the scene a bit more gentle. 

More information (colours and paper used, size, availability, etc) can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com 

Blijdorp zoo in Rotterdam - the 'Rivièrahal' in charcoal

The Blijdorp Zoo in Rotterdam is one of those places I visit at least once a year. Every time it is different compared to the visit before:  new buildings or new animals are to be seen in the garden. 
It is always crowded at the animal shelters, so there is not much 'peace and quiet' to draw the lions, tigers, birds, elephants, wolves, giraffes and other animals I might like to sketch. 

So I decided to try and show the buildings of Blijdorp Zoo that were designed by the architect Sybolt van Ravesteyn,which are monuments since the year 2007.
First of them is the Rivièrahal - or a part of it. 
This hall used to be a tropical greenhouse, but it is not well isolated. Being a National Monument, it was not allowed to make changes to the construction of the building, so new buildings have been constructed to take over that function and the Rivièrahal is now used for educational projects and an indoor playground.

The zoo is also a botanical garden, so lots of trees and bushes are everywhere to be found. 

More information about this drawing (underpainting used etc) can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com