第3回フィールドスケッチ会

On the 21st of June, we had another sketching day.
The midsummer day.
I couldn't help but thinking that for the last three years, I spent this day in North Berwick with the Seabird Drawing course members. I would go back to the campsite after a long chat with them at around 11 o'clock but, of course, in Scotland, it was still bright and I didn't need to turn on my torch at all.

In Japan, situated far down south, the sun set at 19:00. And it is in the middle of rainy season! It wasn't just because of that, but this time, we did our sketch inside at Abiko City Museum of Birds.



第3回フィールドスケッチ会を我孫子の鳥の博物館で開いた。今回はいわゆるフィールドではなく、剥製や骨標本での勉強会だ。



アオサギやムラサキサギの本剥製をスケッチし、ダイサギの骨標本をスケッチする。同じ鳥を前から見たり、後ろからみたり、下から見上げてみたり、足にだけ注目してみたり。



イラストレーターとなると必要に駆られて絵を描くことも多くなるので、こうして1日鳥博でスケッチブックを片手に純粋に勉強できる時間は贅沢に感じる。でも普段からこういう基礎的な学びをつづけていかなくてはいけないのだと思う。



縁あって最近、描いたコシジロヤマドリ。遅ればせながら標本でもう一度勉強しなおした。たとえ今回間に合わなかった知識でも、そのうちどこかで活かされるかもしれない。

第4回フィールドスケッチ会は7月5日（土）に大磯照ヶ崎でアオバトを描く会を予定している。 詳細はこちら。ぜひご参加ください！

男鹿半島マップ

I had a lot to do for the last few weeks. But when you are busy, you somehow come up with things that you really want to do.  Making an illustrated map of Oga Peninsula was one of those things.  And of course, I did it before I started any of the "jobs" I needed to finish!  I'm very bad, but that's what an artist does, isn't it?



I made the map by monoprinting and drew other things with gouache and pen.



アップし損ねていた一枚、男鹿水族館からの眺め。小豆色の部分は、溶岩が地上に流れて固まったもので、尖った灰色の部分は、岩の割れ目にそって地下深くから上ってきたマグマが、途中で冷え固まってできた岩脈らしい。男鹿半島はジオパークになっているらしいので、いつか地質の勉強にも再訪してみたい。
こうやって絵を描くと、もう一度、旅を味わえる。

Azaleas

I love mountains. The mountain scenery always makes me happy.
So I climbed one this spring, the 1601-metre-peak called Hinokiboramaru in Tanzawa. The Japanese Beech forest in spring was just stunning and two types of azaleas, pink Rhododendron wadanum and white Rhododendron quinquefolium, were both blooming beautifully.



少し前になるが、春には丹沢のツツジがみたいと思い、檜洞丸に登ってきた。今年はシロヤシオの当たり年らしく、新緑の中で真っ白な花が咲き乱れていた。葉よりも先に花だけ咲くミツバツツジは清楚だし、シロヤシオの赤茶の縁取りがついた5枚の葉も素敵だ。



I found my favorite spot and started to sketch. A few minutes later, I realised that everyone passing the mountain path stopped at where I was to take photos. Some even decided to take a little break there. But there were so many nice places with brilliant scenery almost all the way along the path. They didn't have to choose the exact spot, where I was, to disturb my quiet and peaceful time! I suspect that people are not looking at the beauty of the mountain as they climb unless they are told to do so by somebody or by sign boards at suggested view points. Or they can not decide what is beautiful and worth while taking photos unless someone tells them so!