Isle of Man Nature Journal

  • While I was drawing a daffodil as part of a ‘One Thing’ walk the other day, I started thinking about past walks in which I chose just one thing to draw. As a blogger, not only do I have my…

  • As we emerge from winter, it can be hard to remember the wonderful colours and forms of the summer garden. I felt like adding some colour to the blog this week, and so decided to focus on the flowers of…

  • New artwork on the map is always exciting, but especially so when it helps to show the very different ways we can represent a place through art. Recently, Jan Kinrade sent in two of her ink sketches of Derbyhaven. I’m…

  • Ink is a lovely medium to draw with and there are many ways to use it. One of my favourites is to use a watersoluble ink to draw the basics of the sketch and then to add water to the…

  • This is a big year for the Isle of Man Nature Journal. It’s the year in which we start to deliver workshops to schools and the full purpose of the journal takes shape. As a result, there will be some…

  • The post-Christmas sales are now really in swing and there are lots of good deals on art supplies in shops and across the internet. It’s a good time to take stock of what you already own, what you enjoy using…

  • These friendly visitors to our gardens are such a welcome sight in winter. With their orange-red breasts and joyful song, they really lighten the darker days. Long associated with Christmas, it’s the perfect time to take a closer look at…

  • After discovering that Caran D’Ache’s Luminance pencils were the perfect fit for my drawing style two years ago, I’ve been gradually building up my collection. Last week, I took delivery of the final pencils I needed to complete the full…

  • Some of my favourite watercolours are in the green and blue range so I had great fun with this week’s quick sketch. I was going to draw another scene, but as I sketched the curves that I wanted the hills…

  • This time of year is great for picking up some extra art supplies as there are so many offers for Black Friday week, the run up to Christmas and during the New Year sales. It can be difficult to know…