Sri Lanka Sketches

In March 2019, I took a sketching group to the tropical island of Sri Lanka for 10 days. Sir Lanka  is located in South Asia in the Indian Ocean.

The diversity of sights to see and places to visit was extraordinary. We travelled by coach from Colombo through to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage to Mt Sigiriya in Central Sri Lanka. Further north were the tea plantations and we sampled many variations of delicious teas. 

So I will begin to take you on my journey and show you the other places we visited. 

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

The group was able to sit just above the elephants as they splashed and walked around in the water. Our local tour leader had booked the restaurant there, and we sat comfortably at tables, enjoying cool drinks, sketching and having some lunch. We were also positioned right next to the road that the majestic elephants with calfs walked down to  the water and we were close enough to touch them. What an experience!

This sketch was of Mt Sigiriya, a rock fortress with is nearly 200 metres high. It was a 5th century ancient city when monks lived earlier.

There are approximately 1200 steps to the top and the climb takes from 1.5 hours to 3 hours, depending on fitness, age and crowds. The climb is well worth it, as the panoramic views are incredible. There are guides along the way who explain various aspects of the rock, and there is a deep cave with frescos.

The Sigiriya frescoes are a set of paintings created by ancient artisans in the 5th century AD. Some are beautifully preserved but a large number of paintings have been destroyed over the last centuries due to the rain, wind and sun.

Remains of the Audience Hall at the Polonnaruwa Ancient Kingdom

The Polonnaruwa Ancient Kingdom is the most ancient of Sir Lanka's Kingdoms, developed in the 10th century and is now a World Heritage Site. There is an Archaeological Museum which had scale models of the buildings and temples of the city, as they may have looked when first built. 

Minneriya Tank Pond

The tank pond is a handmade reservoir covering 5000 acres . It was built by King Mahasena (276-303). The scale was incredible and to image this being built by hand was amazing.  Other reservoirs were created in this era and resulted in a growth in agriculture that opened up trade links with South East Asia.

Just outside the Temple of the Tooth at Kandy, I discovered this wonderful little temple. There were other temples in the immediate area, and the group spread out to sketch their temple of choice. As seen in the sketch, there were many people around, visiting these temples. The day we were there was a very special day in the Temple of the Tooth, with thousands of workshippers lining up to visit the temple.

Concertina Montage Sketchbook

I have just completed a concertina montage sketchbook. Travelling in the United Arab Emirates, then down through India, Colombo (Sri Lanka), and Singapore I had an enormous amount of sketches.

These countries are so rich in colour, atmosphere, sights and sounds. I never tire of the multituide of experiences that flood the senses.  So I decided to complete a montage sketchbook. This way I could record all my favourite things and capture the colour and vibrancy of these countries.

The page on the left is the basic pen drawing. These were done from my iPad images. Every drawing brought back such wonderful memories. The drawing on the right shows when I begin painting one of the buildings in Little India, in Singapore.

Working with this method of montages, you chose just sections of an image that really appeals to you. It also allows you to stop and start, whenever you have the time to add more drawings, or finish of paintings, as each drawing is really a minature painting (or sketch).

On the left is page one of the concertina sketchbook, which shows the map of where I travelled.
On the right is a page including Goa and Cochin in India. Sometimes the simplest subject has the most interest, and I love working with texture, shape and colour.

Here is the finished concertina sketchbook. Each page is 14cm wide and just over 20cms high, slightly smaller than an A5. I bought this sketchbook while in London, but would not use it again as I do not like the paper.  It is easy enough to make your own sketchbook and that allows you to choose the size and type of watercolour paper to use.

There are YouTube videos on making sketchbooks and these can be as easy or as complex as you wish. 

Happy sketching!

Sri Lankan Cooking School

One of the most enjoyable experiences was the day the group spent at a cooking school in Galle. We were taken by tuk tuk to first choose our fish, straight from the sea. It couldn't get any fresher. Then off to the vegetable markets to source some very interesting and unusual produce.

The spice shop was next on the list, where the spices were all freshly ground, then packaged in bags. Nearly everyone stocked up on the spices, with visions of returning home and cooking a delicious Sri Lankan curry.

Everyone helped to chop, grind and mix the ingredients to make some spectacular curries, before sitting down to enjoy the fruits of our labour.

 Fish markets

 Vegetable markets

Fresh spices

 Myself at right with some of the group

 Everyone lent a hand

 I'm making fresh coconut cream

 A vegetable curry and a fish curry

 Delicious chicken curry

 Enjoying the fruits of our labour!

Sketching Sri Lanka

I have recently returned from an amazing sketching tour to Sri Lanka, where I took 12 very motivated and enthusiastic sketchers, and one photographer.

The scenery was incredibly beautiful and each day was a new adventure. We travelled at a very relaxed pace and stayed 2 and 3 nights in each hotel, all with outstanding accommodation.

Here are a few photos of some of the highlights of the trip.  Actually I could not single out only one, as each destination was spectacular.

 Elephants cooling off at the Elephant Orphanage at Pinnawala

 Me sketching with some of the group. We did one or two sketches everyday, as well as plenty of sightseeing.

 I love this photo! We were at the archaeological ruins of the Ancient Kingdom at Polonnaruwa, and a mischevious little monkey had stolen an ice cream. I managed to capture him actually licking this ice cream with great enjoyment.

 Some of the group sketching the Sigiriya Rock Fortress. Most of us climbed to the caves to see the beautiful frescos.

 A stilt fisherman at a beach out of Kandy. Didn't actually catch much while we were there, but he certainly looked quite comfortable.

Some tea plantations in the hills above Kandy.

A fire eater at a cultural performace. There was also fire walkers and of course cultural dancing.

SOME OF MY SKETCHES

 At elephant orphanage

 Black line sketch of some of the archaeological ruins at the Ancient Kingdom.

Perhaps you can be tempted to join me on another tour to Sri Lanka in March 2021.