Jardin Botanique

I went along to the Jardin Botanique during the week, trying to keep up the sketching momentum. It was sunny but very cold so perhaps not ideal for sitting or standing around without gloves!

Fortunately there are some lovely big greenhouses where I could sketch and keep warm. I loved the colours of these leaves. I made notes of some of them to look up later and I didn't see any photos of this Hardenbergia comptoniana with leaves this colour - maybe because they are not in their natural environment?

I was very taken with these tiny, perfectly formed leaves and that lovely spray of colour. They were like miniature palm leaves! I couldn't find the label for them but I'll probably go back here regularly so I'll have another look.

There is a little farm there where they keep deer, chickens, geese and other animals. I'm fond of chickens so I made a beeline for them. They were all basking in the sun, sitting in a row along a wall. Easy to sketch I thought, until I reached into my bag for my sketchbook and they all came running, expecting to be fed! 

I really enjoyed doing these sketches and then putting a quick bit of colour on them. I don't know why, but I also enjoy putting watercolour on thin paper that buckles easily. This is my little Green & Stone sketchbook again and I was surprised how well it took them, not buckling at all. I really can't find fault with this sketchbook. I think I've mentioned before it has a lovely old fashioned feel about it with its cloth cover. It has a little popper to keep it closed and it has a little pencil holder at the top which I've now put a short pencil in. So it's easy to grab it and not have to rummage around for a pencil. There is a photo here on the website.