May 2026 Pages

This month featured lots of painting on location, and it started with a quick urban sketch testing new materials while cycling around my neighbourhood, in honour of International Urban Sketchers Week. The beautiful tranquil Pho Quang Pagoda was a great spot to pause for 10-15 minutes and practice sketching with limited supplies. My plan is to set up a mini kit I can use when cycling or to keep in my handbag to encourage sketching on the go.

Materials

• TWSBI Eco fountain pen with De Atramentis Urban Grey ink
• Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer watercolour marker (Cobalt Turquoise 153)
• Mossery Pocket Sketchbook (mixed media paper)

I sat on the steps outside the gates and drew the outline in ink then played with the shadows and textures using the watercolour pen. I think I prefer at least one more colour but was able to get some variation in blues from the pen by diluting it. I struggled with the roof tiles texture though. I'm sure I've done a plein air painting here before, and I might come back for another try with a few more materials. No more than can fit in a pencil case though (including the sketchbook).

Kalbarri

7 - 14 May 2026

Kalbarri trip

I went north to Kalbarri and surrounds for a camping trip with friends for a week. They are currently travelling around Australia and headed to Exmouth afterwards to continue their northern part of the trip. As we drove up from Perth we could feel the warmth returning - it did feel like we were heading back into summer! This meant we did a little bit of snorkelling off the beach and enjoyed many walks along the cliffs, in town and by the gorges.

The scenery was stunning by the coast (it's in the Coral Coast region) and the gorges. The only downside was the flies - it was necessary to wear a flynet to avoid inhaling one accidentally and get some respite from their persistent attempts to enter your head via nose, ears and eyes.

Having never been further north in WA than Geraldton, I was excited to see how the landscape shifted and it was noticeable that the ground became more red and the trees don't grow as high. Everywhere we stopped there was an explosion of butterflies, moths and dragonflies (and flies too of course). I imagine this is just the time of year they are abundant and it might look quite different in a few weeks time. I'm keen to learn what they all are and nature journal them now I've put them on iNaturalist. I intended to do so at the first place we stayed, but only got to draw a pebble before running out of time and never got back to it.

I also did some plein air painting by The Murchison River and at the Z Bend Lookout in Kalbarri National Park. The first one was done under time pressure at sunset and the other two were more at ease, although I only had roughly an hour at the gorge that worked out well. I'm very pleased with the Z Bend one given the difficulty of being overloaded with details at the gorge.

Materials

• Handmade sketchbook with cotton watercolour paper
• Etchr palette with Schmincke watercolours and waterbrush pen

Nature journaling in Djeran

Just now at the end of the month I've noticed the wax flowers budding again along the driveway. It was a very dry May for Perth and the chill has set in - the winter clothes and gear are in use again! Spider populations have declined although I have spotted multiple marbled geckos around. Frogs have been calling and hopping about at Lake Herdsman. In our backyard we have pigeons, ravens and willie wagtails as well as the usual singing and white-cheeked honeyeaters.

Wattle flowers are beginning to burst open as yellow fluffy stars and the red flowering gums have started dropping blossoms. I believe the acorn banksia were going well this month.

Coming up

The first week of June is International Nature Journaling Week! 🎉To celebrate I will be running a kids workshop on nature journaling and creating your own field guide on Wednesday 3rd June at Herdsman Lake Discovery Centre from 3-5 PM. Tickets are $10 per child.

Let's see if I can do some daily nature journaling this month, building on the momentum of the first week hopefully. I have some catching up to do (like the moths above) and it would be great to continue my outdoors sketching habit - perhaps picking up the perpetual journal as well. Will you be doing some nature journaling this month?