Broome, Western Australia July 2019

In July 2019 I was in beautiful Broome in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. This is a very interesting coastal town of nearly 19,000 people and is famous for pearling. It is full of vivid colour and natural phenomena, as well as having sunset camel rides and dinosaur tracks in the beach rocks, dating back 130 million years. The sunrises and sunsets are unbelievably spectacular.

I had a group of 12. I only take limited numbers as I demonstrate and tutor constantly, so everyone gets the very most out of the tour and has individual tuition and guidance.

Here are some of my sketches from this trip. 

Broom courthouse on left, where markets are held weekly, and Johnny Chi Lane on right, with people waiting for their bus.

We sketched in the grounds of a pearl shop, where there were many historical artifacts from the pearling days.

And a very special sketch from the Japanese Cemetery, the largest Japanese cemetery in Australia dating back to 1896. Most of the graves are of the Japanese migrants who settled in Broome to prosper from the rich pearling industry. It is a memorial to those who were loved and lost.

The wording on one of the gravestone read:

"We did not see you close your eyes,

we did not hear you sigh.

We only hear that you were gone -

without a last goodbye."

A-Z Travel Sketching Part 3

Here are a few pages from my current article in Australian Artist magazine - Part 3 of the A-Z of Travel Sketching.

There is much more information in this article, on the Rule of Thirds when sketching, more sketches, top tips, perspective and how to actually create a sketch with comprehensive compositional information.

It is now available at all Newsagents. Next month is the final issue in this four part series.

Travel Sketching Art Tours - Australian Artist magazine

I have had a successful start to 2016 with two new magazine articles, both in January.

The first was a Holiday Sketching article about art tours, composition, making your own sketch book and step by step to a sketch from Nha Tang in Vietnam.

There are other pages to the articles, but these give you an idea of what the article contains.

Enjoy.

'Painting with Leonie Norton'

I have just had a Collectors' Edition of my work published by Woodlands Publishing NSW.  It is available in most newsagents and can be found in the Art Section. If you are unable to locate it, just ask the newsagent to order some copies.

The magazine has a lot of information and step by step demonstrtions on Botanical Art, Natural History Art and Travel Sketching. There is something there for everyone.

Feet on the ground for a while

I have had an unbelievable year with travel and work, and love every minute of it. I have a great balance in my life so it is easy to juggle the many diverse things that I do, which are almost all art related. I have met so many wonderful people over the years through art and it is always a privilege to be able to share my knowledge with others.

Travels

This year I have been away or teaching for nine months (not all togther of course). Sometimes I even have to think where I went and when. Here is an overview:

 

• Lots of weekend workshops at WEA Sydney
• A week at Koro Sun Resort in Savusavu teaching Botanical Art and Travel Sketching. This is definately a holiday wrapped up in a workshop at the most incredible Fijian resort
•  

  

  Koro Sun Resort, Savusavu.  Some of the group enjoying morning tea.

• River cruise where I managed to do lots of my own sketching
• Visit to Prague which was an amazing experience. Really loved it.
• 2 weeks in Cambodia and Vietnam taking a travel sketching group. This was such a wonderful experience with the most fabulous sketching opportunities. Doing Cambodia again 2016
• Teaching workshop for the Botanical Art Society Queensland at Mt.Cootha Botanical Gardens
• Talks for the Australian Historical Garden Society and the Vaucluse Garden Club
• Five day botanical art workshop at Mossman, far north Queensland 
• Two back to back workshops in Perth, WA
• Four days in beautiful Beechworth. I love that place and have done many botancial art and travel sketching workshops there over the years
• Coming up - two day botanical art workshop mid November at Sturt, Mittagong, southern highlands NSW

Here are a few photos from this year:

 In between all these engagements I have my Distance Learning Courses in Botanical Art, Natural History Art and Travel Sketching. This is almost a fulltime job on its own with hundreds of students, but it is just one aspect of my working life which gives me a lot of enjoyment. I just seem to fit it in somehow, or rather fit in my other committments.

I have just begun a new work for the 2016 Botanica exhibition which will be in the Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens. I will try to get three paintings done this year. I am working on birds as pollinators and have almost finished the initial drawing. Will blog the progress.

Here is my 'bird' painting from last year's exhibition - Eastern Spinebills (male, female and juvenile).

I am loving painting birds and insects in conjunction with my work as it gives me a new challenge, expands my repertoire and enhances the botanical subject.

Eastern Spinebill birds on Bongala Spinebill Grevillea

Details of birds

Themed Sketchbooks

Sketching can be even more fun if using a themed sketchbook. These can be made or decorated in any way you wish. You are only limited by your imagination.

My recent article in Artist's Back to Basics' has just been published with hints, tips and information on how to make your own sketchbook.

There are also many excellent articles in this edition #6_1.  I usually do an article for every issue and have been doing this since the magazine's inception. It is sometimes a challenge to come up with something new and different and it is great to expand the imagination with various techniques, subjects and ideas to share.

Sketches through Europe

Had a recent trip to Europe when I combined work with pleasure, and did some sketching along the Rhine and Danube Rivers in Europe, predominantly in Germany.

Just sharing these with you. Once I returned home there was so much work to do that all thoughts of more sketching were quickly forgotten.

I spent five days in and around Prague which I loved and took many, many wonderful photos. Definitely want to do a series of building sketches as architecture is one of my loves.

The sketch captions are self explanatory.

Just getting ready to leave for Siem Reap, where I am taking a group to Cambodia for a week, sketching Ankor Wat and many other places. Then on to Hoi An for a week of very different culture and scenery.

Botanical Art & Travel Sketching in Savusavu, Fiji

I have just returned from an incredible week with a group of delightful, motivated and enthusiastic participants - drawing and painting the flora and attractions of Savusavu on Vanua Levu, Fiji. We stayed at Koro Sun Resort which exceeded all my expectations. This was my first time at this resort, but I have been going to Savusavu since 2006 and have taught many courses here.

The lily pond on Koro Sun Resort

Over water villas - the view from one side of our painting room

The staff were always smiling and could not do enough to make our stay very special. What can I say - fantastic service, food, accommodation and the most amazing area to paint in. We were able to use the Seaview Restaurant which was right over the water with an almost 360 degree view and windows all around. Tons of room for me to move around and for the students to spread out.

Our painting 'room'

 Here are a few of the paintings done by the class.

Jill and Ida's paintings

Margaret and Judith's paintings

Two of Pat's paintings

Some of the other subjects were of different heliconia species, vibrant and glowing red hibiscus and orchids. After some reconnaissance around the resort, I have recorded many plant and flower species that would be perfect for next year.

Some of the group were absolute beginners and had never done botanical art before. They greatly impressed me with their finished work. Every single painting done was worthy of hanging and will be admired by family and friends alike. 

There were excursions most afternoons, to  a waterfall, a village visit, herbal walks, into the rainforest, into the town to sketch and investigate the markets and shop.

Sketching at the Copra Shed, and enjoying fantastic icecream and smoothies.

Sketching in the rainforest

This was an incredibly successful art retreat. I will be taking another group same time next year. Did I mention perfect weather? Around 28 degrees each day, beautiful breeze, no humidity. At no time was anyone ever hot. May is almost into winter, with the least rain of the year.

Many of the ladies enjoyed relaxing spa treatments, such as the 2 hour banana wrap, scrub and massage. There was also the wonderful relaxing foot and leg scrub and massage. The spa personnel would come to the rooms to do this. Nothing was better than to enjoy this just before bed.

Some of the group enjoying morning tea. I am third from right, sitting at the table with a navy and white striped top.

The week finished with a lovo (food cooked in the ground) buffet and a very enthusiastic meke by the Fijians from a local village.

Local Fijian women at the meke, enthusiastically enjoying their national dance.

Until next year......

Back to Basics Magazine Articles April 2015

I write articles for Back to Basics art magazine for each issue. It is now a bi-monthly magazine and has articles to appeal to all skill levels and all mediums and techniques. My recent articles appear in Issue 5_4 and are related to travel sketching.

The first article is How to Sketch Water. It is very comprehensive with lots of sketches and photos, as well as a step by step demonstration.

The sketch at the top is from Norfolk Island, bottom left is Patong Beach in Phuket and the bottom right is Kiama on the south coast of NSW.

There is a step by step demonstation of this sketch in the magazine

The second article in the magazine is Greens in the Landscape. This is a valuable article not only for sketching, but for the valuable information of various greens that are around us, either at home or away.

This is a sketch of the lagoon at Werri Beach on the south coast of NSW

Left: Fiji - right: Cranbrook WA

Lismore northern NSW

Wherever you are you can carry a small sketchbook and basic equipment to quickly sketch the enviroment.  I also take groups travel sketching to various areas both in Australia and overseas. It is so much easier to sketch with a group and lots more fun!

Travel Sketching Distance Learning

I have been drawing, sketching and painting for as long as I can remember. Some early memories are sitting in a classroom and drawing all over my books. From there it progressed to compiling recipe books and illustrating them, even writing a small book when I was about 11 - called 'The Adventures of Solo'. He was a pinto horse. I was mad about horses at that age. Fabulous little drawings throughout the book. There was always a pencil and paper in my hand.

I lived in Nadi, Fiji from age 15-17 and painted landscapes, people, the ocean, and sold these paintings. Art was something I didnt even think about. It has just been a part of me forever. I lived in Penang from 18-20, before there were any high rise buildings. When Golden Sands was a local beach. Where I was constantly recording my memories visually.

Travelling has been - and still is - a major part of my life as well. Realising how difficult it was to travel with non-artists and try to sketch, I decided to gather like-minded people around and sketch in a group. 

This is how my Holiday and Travel Sketching art tours began - over ten years ago. As far as I know I was the first person to take Sketching tours away. I also take Botanical Art Tours to Fiji each year.

Another chapter in my life was the finalising of my Travel Sketching Distance Learning course recently. All these things are a labour of love. Again another first as there is no one else doing this in Australia, or globally. It is proving to be amazingly popular and there is something in it for everyone.

There is absolutely no book on the market that I have seen that has even half the amount of information I am offering in my distance learning course. There is a cover page and an index, so the course can be made into a book on completion.

Anyone can sketch. You cannot make a mistake as you can change things around or add things into a sketch. You can be creative as you sketch a scene, the sky or water, and much more.

So I will leave you with some information on the course. Enjoy!

This is the information that is contained in the first module on Sketching Basics - and another five modules follow, each one unique in its presentation, information and subject.

This is the first page to give you an idea of what you will be experiencing in the course.

And I'll leave you with this information on The Rule of Thirds.

 

 

 To find out more about the course and download an outline, discover where my Travel Sketching Art Tours can take you, or to look at some of my sketches (am in the process of updating what I already have) see www.holidaysketching.com.au.

Happy sketching!