Australia Day

It is Australia Day today.

We celebrate everything Australian !

It is a national public holiday today. Celebrated annually on 26 January, it marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British Ships atPort Jackson, New South Wales. With community festivals, concerts and citizenship ceremonies, fireworks, music and barbecues the day is celebrated everywhere around the nation.

I am having a quiet Australia day long weekend. I thought I would post some drawings that I have done in previous years on Australia Day and also some classic Australian animals and birds I have previously drawn. All in watercolour pencil of course !

Australia Day 2014

Australia Day 2011 – the free bucket hat given away at the park

Australia Day 2012

I had a great time reminiscing while looking back through my sketches since 2008. I have 49 sketchbooks and all of the drawings have been scanned onto flickr (a photo sharing website) . I can search flickr by keyword. So as long as I have described the drawing when I put it on flickr , I can find my sketches on a particular subject. As a librarian , this level of organisation and functionality appeals to me!

Here are some Australian birds and animals – drawn from real life, photos or at the museum

Wombat. Drawn from photos taken in Tasmania. This was the drawing that really set my direction in watercolour pencil sketching. Cathy Johnson included it in her Artist’s Journal Workshop” book and it my viewed drawing on flickr. I discovered I could achieve so much with watercolour pencils