GreenScraps, Summer 2012

Back this Summer! 

Lets explore the bond with nature, art & ourselves! 

Nature Bountiful!

Much to know.... Much to inspire... & Much to get involved with!

Keeping a nature journal can sure be fun! 

Do contact us for more information about the workshop. The registrations are limited to 12 participants. 

'A brush with nature'

It was while I was studying in the College of Fine Arts that I began bird-watching on a serious note. With the encouragement of many senior birdwatchers in Bangalore, my little scribbles and doodles next to my bird notes turned into field sketches and I have since maintained a meticulous nature journal. In due course, my strongest passion, nature and art, came together to form an exciting career as a wildlife artist. I have worked on various projects and have steadily gathered a collection of art. I love traveling and have traveled to many National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries across India. During these trips, I have had the opportunity to observe nature and sketch in my journal. I welcome you on my journey through this wilderness translated on paper and canvas.

Click here for - Directions to the Venue

I look forward to seeing you there !
Please feel free to share this forward.
Thank you !

Kingfishers

With over 90 species of Kingfishers spread across the tropical and temperate regions of the world, India is home to about 12 species. These bright plumaged stubby birds with their straight, pointed dagger-like bill, occur in a wide range of habitats and are most commonly associated with rivers, streams and lakes.  There are some kingfisher species found in forested habitats away from water too. Also one that thrives in the driest desert of Australia !

I have composed the kingfishers in a misty morning with the dead logs adding to the typical Kabini set up. In the painting, the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) and the stork-billed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis) perch on the dead wooden logs, patiently waiting for their prey; while a pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) hovers over the still waters  to make a dive for its prey. 

GREENSCRAPS - Doodling with nature !

The little-many colourful flowers,tiny insects, leaves in a gazillion different shapes, moths that make the perfect best posers to sketch, the unique character of each seedpod, the fidgety - restless birds - all of this & much more, go into my little hard-bound sketchbook. Sketching what we see around us & tagging these little nature treasures with their names & their stories, transforms a mere sketchbook into a Journal.

A cartographer, Paul Valery, once stated "It takes a considerable difference if one views something with a sketching pen in hand than without a sketching pen in hand." A statement i truly believe. Looking up-close, the amount of detail that you can gather with just trying to draw what you see, is much much more than observing something with a binocular or simple writing about it.

If anyone is even a little inclined to art, i guess Journaling with nature can make an excellent hobby! Keeping the same in mind, Shilpashree & I have designed a 'GREENSCRAPS' workshop for kids... all about observing, exploring, sketching, doodling, collecting information & having fun with nature.

Kinnaur-Spiti travel blog

‘How did all this begin? When did my mind suddenly ponder on this travel plan.’ I wonder to myself. All I can remember is collecting bits of information about places that I had always wished to see. Probably, it was a strong urge to escape, to explore, to experience something new and to just be out there! Everything put together - it happened.

A journey into the high Himalaya… I finally set foot.
A stuffed backpack, myself and a landscape so extreme, vast and beautiful!

I trudged along amidst the high mountains, rocky cliffs, deep gorges, valleys, streams, rivers and distant snow-clad peaks, admiring its enormity and grandeur with every step. A constant smile within me, a weird sense of fear that I cannot put into words and the sheer uncertainty of each passing day and each passing moment, is probably what made my trip all the more exciting. There was no rigid plan to follow nor had I booked any guesthouses prior, all I knew was the general direction in which I was headed.

The general idea was to start my journey from Shimla, follow the path into the mountains through the Kinnuar and Spiti regions and end at Manali. No matter where I stayed, I knew I had to be back in Delhi by the morning of August 6th to catch my flight back to Bangalore.

I took a night train from Delhi to Kalka and then hopped onto a lovely toy-train from there to Shimla. From here the rest of the journey was either by bus or by foot. A couple of times I even hitched rides to get to places. On most of my bus rides I occupied the very first seat of the bus next to the driver, and it definitely is the best seat on the bus. Its big wide windshield in front gives a good, clear, unobstructed view of the road and landscape ahead of you. The bus drivers’ mastery, patience and egoless driving skills on those narrow roads, will amaze anybody.
As the road cuts through the mountains; you have a cut rock on one side & a river running through the deep valley on the other side. There are only day buses that shuttle through these routes, not only because the roads are really narrow but also because they are prone to regular landslides. As I travelled further on from Shimla, to Sangla – Rakscham – Chitkul – Kalpa – Nako – Kaza – Kungri - Mudh – Kibber – Rohtang pass & finally to Manali, all thanks to the day travels, I could literally witness the landscape transform from green alpine forest regions in Kinnuar to rocky cliffs, dry-barren, cold-desert regions as I moved higher into Spiti Valley. It was simply spectacular!

As much as I wanted to sit-put and start sketching at every place I travelled to, there was so much to see... I wanted to look at everything around me. It was a new place after all!! Rakscham and its tall pine trees, mountains, distant waterfalls, many streams, wildflower blooms, flocks of birds & its variety of moths, made me stay there an extra day.  

Nako gave a feeling of being on top of the world! The red, yellow, green, blue & white prayer flags fluttered against the backdrop of the vast blue sky. The etched prayer stones placed all around gave a very unique spiritual feel to Nako town. The sighting of a herd of about 15 Himalayan Ibex as I hiked up towards Mudh, made it all worth it and is definitely one of the highlights of my trip. Little Mudh- its village, pea fields, ridged-mountains and its changing hues n’ shades of shadows as the clouds floated by and the sun went down, made it an ideal place to just breathe, sit back and relax. Just knowing that I was in snow leopard country and listening to a few stories of the mighty cat, made me feel comfortable and satisfied! Though I knew I was highly unlikely to see the snow leopard here, during this time of the year… my eyes just wouldn’t stop searching. I was smitten by this little town, but could stay for just another day more. I was hoping to tuck-in a quick visit to Kibber into my trip as well. A stop-over at the famous Key Monastary and a long 8km slightly steep climb on foot, got me to Kibber by mid-afternoon. I guess,Kibber sure didn’t want me to leave the same day. I got lucky to bump into an NCF volunteer who was also leaving to Manali the next day by a shared taxi & I was more than happy to accept the offer to stay back at Kibber for the night and tag along the next day.

The drive from the cold-desert landscape back into high alpine forests was absolutely picturesque. I sat by the window and tried to soak in as much of the mountain-scape as i drove through them.The different terrains I passed, the many travelers I met on my journey, the little experiences I gathered and everything new that I encountered, made my trip complete. I am more than happy that my little mind pondered on such a spontaneous travel plan. I sure wouldn’t have traded it for anything! An experience that will linger on and remain forever!

Field Sketches from the Northeast

Frozen in a sketch... i can keep them with me forever !

Nature.. with its little magic wand has so exceptionally created such incredible creatures and left them wandering all around us. Every now and then, its such pleasure to cross paths with them. The human me, wants to grab and keep everything that's pretty; but, the naturalist me, takes immense pleasure in watching everything in their natural setting; and then, the Artist me, wants to be able to capture them somehow...         

Once they are in my sketchbook.. a little feeling of happiness! It becomes mine to keep !

I was absoluetely delighted to be joining a team of Naturalists on an expedition to Talle Valley, Arunachal Pradesh… documenting the reptile and amphibian diversity of the region. What a team it was! May 2010 was the first time i was setting foot to this part of India and i was thrilled. Had an eye out for birds, butterflies, plants, snakes, frogs and anything that came into my sight. Had a wonderful trip with over 40+ species of birds from Talle valley and Ziro, another 40+ from around Guwahati. and a whole lot of Lifers. Many snakes and Amphibians added to our list too.Rhinos! and Water Buffalo's at Pobitaro Sanctuary made up for my lifer mammal list ! Survived the trip with just 1 leech bite on the last day while i was returning to Ziro.

Sketched Memoirs -- Turahalli

The many visits to Turahalli ... through the years...

Stepped into this rocky hillock area for the first time in 2002... when i was trying to follow some directions to  meet the bird-watching group. i got lost  and bumped into another lost car. So we ended up birding by ourselves and headed back home. I was amazed to see this lil' green patch so close to home... and i was hoping that i would remember my way to reach here next time !

It was in mid-2003 that i got to know about the rock-climbing activities that go on at Turahalli. I enrolled with KMA (Karnataka Mountaineering Association) and landed up the very sunday with my cousin... to see what rock-climbing is all about ! I was so happy to bump into a familiar birding-climber amongst the group.... i got comfortable... and got hooked ! Not-to-mention, that my very 4th consecutive sunday... i had a bad fall from my favourite Krishna rock... had to be literally carried down the hillock.... and after some Xrays and check-ups, got to know that it was a ligament tear in my ankle. For little more than a month my leg was wrapped up in a cast ! Well, after about 3-4 months. i slowly resumed my climbing activities again !! :)

Ever since... Turahalli has become home !

May it be for birding, climbing, sketching or just to relax the mind and walk around... Turahalli has been there. Not once does it cease to surprise our curious minds. It always has something in store for us and an endless treasure of stories to share.

"GreenScraps" - Nature Journaling Workshop

Shilpashree & I are conducting an exclusive workshop for kids... teaching them how to keep a Nature Journal.

The Registrations are limited to 10-12 participants, so do hurry !

Please enlarge the attached image to find all the details.
Contact us for more information about the workshop.

Doodling with the Canopy

Here's one other mail that was long pending..

Towards the end of October was the 5th International Canopy conference 2009, held in India for the first time. Its main venue was IISc (Indian Institute of Science), Bangalore! The whole event was mainly organised by ATREE http://www.canopy2009.org/index.html . There were a whole bunch of talks, some very interesting Plenary speakers, poster presentations, fun hand's-on tree climbing demo's, art & photography contests... everything related to Forest Canopies.

So, after wondering 'if i should or not, should or not', i managed to doodle around something on paper, on the final day of the deadline. I guess, probably something just came upon me in my sleep.. coz i woke @ 6 with this vague idea in mind, immediately started doodling around, had absolutely no clue what it would turn out to be, breakfast was served to where i was painting, i think i just ran down for a quick lunch and the rest of the time, i was literally SO glued to my studio... and by 7 pm, i had this lil' window-like painting well framed and ready!
And after all this.. i looked at it and thought 'not bad i guess, i could enter it into the art contest'. A very simple technique of pen on paper, a wash of watercolor and a fine air-brush spray to add some mist.


Well, the painting did manage to get hold of the third place! And here comes the best part of the third place... i received an autographed copy of the book on canopy research "Its a Jungle Up There - More tales from the treetops" by Meg Lowman(who gave one of the best Plenary talks at the conference), and to add to this(it gets better)... the first three artists have won a trip to KMTR !!! (KMTR = Kaalakaad Mundunthurai Tiger reserve) I have been soooo longing to go to this place for a few years now. Well.. after being pushed from December, to Jan, to Feb.. its finally-Finally Happening!! :)

However.. taking a picture of this painting was quiet tricky as i had got it framed with a regular reflective glass. So, please excuse the reflection in it. And thanks to Deepa Mohan, who insisted on making me stand next to the painting for a picture. After she sent me the picture my mail.. i thought 'am glad she insisted!' :)

The King of last year...

How many times have i opened to type in a new page.. and instantly, my mind goes blank, my fingers dono what to type and an echo in my own voice that says 'Ah! forget it... why post??' .....
Was hard to write with enthusiasm or type anything exciting, if at all!.... and it was easy to give up n' sign out.

well, after many months... exciting, or not... enthusiastic, or not... here is something from now and then , through 2009...

Did this KingCobra image for somebody (client/friend).. but there were a few changes i had to make to it. Its partly a watercolour finish.. so its difficult to rework on them if i need the similar effect. Either i need to start a new one or give it an opaque-ish finish.
For some reason i kinda didnt feel like altering it.. so have left it as it is. But havn't yet got myself to work on a new layout either. Too many other paintings on the priority list already. Hope i'll get to work on it soon!

Finalist @ BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year 2009 !!!

Male and female of Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)
and Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandrii)
along with the plant Red Buck-eye (Aesculus pavia)

This hummingbird painting has been nominated a finalist in the World Birds category of the BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year 2009 competition !!!!The competition is believed to have attracted over 700 entries, out of which 122 paintings have been shortlisted amongst 14 different categories.

Now, i got to send the original painting for the final round of judging at Hampshire, England. Each category will have just one winner. and their artwork will be displayed at the annual exhibition of the Marwell International Wildlife Art Society and published in BBC Wildlife Magazine.

Well.. getting through this final round is certainly a tough luck with the many amazing artists by my side. But however, just to know that out of more than 700 entries, they turned to look again at my painting... is an incredible feeling by itself !!!

You could also take a peek at the felis blog.

My tiny painting studio

Here.. here it is! My small cute little painting area. A rack for all my colourful assortment of paints, brushes and a crowded book rack in the corner. A very tiny area to work... but i guess its okay for the kind of work am doing now. Don't need a very large space for it. I guess its quiet ideal...

However... my dream of a 'travel artist' still remains! Who would resist the idea of travelling around the globe, exploring and painting from anywhere! Hope its not a very far-fetched dream...

Wildlife Art Books

Well... here is the slowly and gradually growing Wildlife art books collection.
Everytime i brush through the pages, it excites and inspires me ever more.
Am sincerely thankful to my ever encouraging friends and brother, who have helped add to this treasured collection of mine! And ofcourse, happy with myself too, to have invested on some of these beautiful books every now and then!
Hope my collection keeps growing!

The 'Hatching'

A4 size; Black pen on paper; Using a technique of ‘hatching’ and ‘cross-hatching’ for the King hatchlings ! This technique is done by drawing closely spaced parallel lines to create tonal or shading effects.

After having glued myself to Bangalore for a few months, immersed in painting, I finally got a chance to take off to the Western Ghats, where (my brother, Sandesh) and the filming crew were shooting a documentary for National Geographic about King Cobras! The crew, along with Gowri Shankar and the many volunteers at ARRS (Agumbe Rainforest Research Station) had put in many weeks of radio tracking the King, observing and recording its behavior and filming the nest building in the wild. Now, it was time for the baby kings to break open their shells and come out into their whole new wild world. And I was lucky enough to land up at Agumbe right in time for this ! It was early August.

I sat watching the heads pop out, everything in slow motion, taking their own sweet time to absorb their new surroundings and venture out boldly, leaving behind their safe haven. With their heads out, they stood in the same position, sometimes for hours together, as if everything had been paused. Thus giving me ample enough time to sit in front of them and doodle rough sketches in my field-journal. And presented above is the final sketch of the baby kings hatching. Made this after i got back to Bangalore.

Wild flowers from Turahalli

More of my rough -in-the-field- journal sketches !
A few wildflowers from Turahalli. Well, thanks to Ravee (http://www.weatheredwind.org/notes/), my interest in wildflowers has slowly bloomed too. Hidden between the grass, are these tiny coloured forms, so *unique* and distinct from one another.... which i would have otherwise walked past without a glance.

With over 500 species of Aristolochia around the world... I was more than priviledged to stumble upon one of its kind at Turahalli. A unique flower structure... couldn't resist but sketch it ! Am amazed by this flower and am eagerly waiting to see them in bloom again ! Its become one amongst my favourite flowers!! :) (No sooner have i said this... the very next day, a peep through my window, i saw the same Aristolochia creeper and to add to my sudden discovery... it was in bloom too!!! Can you beat that!) How i wish, similarly, all my *eagerly waiting* thoughts come true too !
The Ground Star (Curculigo orchidoies) is one amongst the common plants of Turahalli... The star shaped pretty yellow flowers grow at the base of the plant, touching the ground.
Commelina forskalaei is the kidney-shaped petals at the bottom right of the attached page. The petals are bluish.

Peeping through the grass....

Leopards on the prowl

Did these sketches a few months back. Have used the -stippling method- for two of them... its mainly by doing the whole illustration by using fine dots to show the various tones and depth.
I havn't got to see too many leopards in the wild. I got lucky to see my first leopard 3 years back in September 2005 ... two in one day @ Bandipur NP. Will remain as the most unforgetful interesting day for me. Had also got to see my first sloth bear on the same day too! There was no limits to my joy that day! :)
Amongst the many leopard sketches i did... i guess i can pick out just these three that can be kinda -showable- to people. The one below, i used indian ink. However, i did prefer the stipplings better.After doing these leopard sketches, i have realised how difficult it is to sketch the cat family. Especially, all those spots on the leopard !! *sigh* !!

"Growl",the T-shirt

The finest of my T-shirt paintings till date ! I sure did have a lot of enthusiasm to do it.
Makes a more special T-shirt for this was my very first air-brushed work !
With a thousand questions in my mind, if i should air-brush it or stick to my usual paint brush.... i decided to go with the air-brush after a lot of talking and convincing my own mind. It was supposed to be a birthday gift so i absolutely didn't want to spoil it no matter what. So, however, i thought i will start with the air-brush and just in case i spoil it, i will switch over to my more comfortable paintbrush ! But well, by the end of it, i have been more happier than ever.
I first worked on the front image of the tiger in the bottom corner of the T-shirt , later did the profile face of the growler !
I use an Iwata HP C+ Airbrush and an Iwata Sprint Jet Air-compressor. Now... (For the ones who are curious to know more...) What is an Airbrush ??!
Its like a miniature Spray gun. Its a small pen-like tool which sprays a fine mist of paint with a constant air pressure from the compressor. As i use the double action airbrush technique, it gives more control over the air pressure and paint flow. It did take quite a bit of practice and sheets of newsprints doodled with short and long lines going in all directions, thin and thick; circles and curves, to get a better control of the new tool. It will only get better and better with more practice am sure. Have been enjoying this tool the best oflate. The main drawback is that its a bit expensive and has to be totally cared for. After every use it needs to be cleaned throughly, if not, its absolutely not worth investing in. Just as i thought i was getting a better hang of the airbrush, a tiny part as small as 3 mm, has got damaged :( . I believe its one of the parts that gets worn out every now and then. Its been 2 months now and am still waiting for the spare part. Need to get in touch with someone who is coming to India asap and its only available in the US of A.
Hoping to get a better hand on this instrument very soon ! I so need that spare part, right now!!

Ruby-throated Hummingbird & Trumpet Vine

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) and Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans)

This painting got auctioned in the US just last month!

Its been a year since i made this painting. And i must say, i spent sooo much time on this one. I was trying to get a different background effect, only later, to learn that the effect is possible with an Airbrush!

This painting was a donation to the Ocelot Festival, as they were raising funds for the conservation of Ocelots. However, am excited coz it's the first auction of my painting !! :) I believe they got it framed and it was looking pretty !! Now, i sit here and wonder on which wall it is hanging!

Eravikulam National Park... my journal pages

THE ROLLING GRASSLANDS - AN ISLAND OF THEIR OWN
25th - 31st December, 2007

I was quite fortunate enough to tag along with my brother to Eravikulam National Park. Sure enough, i had seen pictures, video clippings and heard about all the words of praise about this place i was going to visit. But i can say -nothing,absolutely nothing- can come close to *just being there* and seeing the beauty that stands in front of you! The Landscape only got better and better... mountains and valleys that run along till as faaaaar as your eyes can see; and nestled in between some of the valleys are dense Sholas or mini-rainforests, if you can call it! Being the month of December, the grassland was ochreish-greenish-brown. So untouched, so pristine! I so consider myself one of the luckiest!
I hiked deeper into the national park with Sandesh, Mandi, Sara and 15 other porters, who were carrying all the filming equipment and ration for the week.Not to mention,i would be the first person to start the hike and no sooner all the porters carrying much heavier baggage than me would run along next to me, leaving me trotting behind at the end of the trail!! I sure did make it to the hut with a smile though! You don't tend to know the meaning of a 'frown' in that landscape. Also, i must confess, except for the beginning uphill, the later part of the hike is not too bad (thankfully) ! :)

I was so mesmerised by the place that i was smiling throughout and soon sat to do a quick pen & ink sketch of the landscape in front of me in my journal. This is the view from the Eravikulam hut which faces a stream and the 'kathu-malai' mountain in front of us. To the left is a quick pencil sketch of the skull of a Sambar deer.

The next day early morning, went up to see the morning light and the spell of shadows as the sun came up, on the mighty Anaimudi and its valleys around. It was beautiful! Anaimudi is known to be the highest mountain peak in the south of the Himalayas.. about 2695 meters! The name 'Anaimudi', refers to 'the Elephant's head'. Sadly, i could not make time to sketch this.

Above, is a quick sketch of the 'Eravikulam hut', where we stayed. Below, just a quick landscape sketch of the mountains, valleys, sholas and the swifts i saw flying about the place! Next to these sketches are the birds i got to see during my stay!

The bird highlights for me on this trip were the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Pacific swallow, White-bellied Shortwing, Nilgiri Pipit, Indian Schimitar Babbler, Black eagle and with all probability a Fork-tailed Swift! To add to this... allll these birds,except for the Black eagle, were my lifers (seeing them for the first time!)

I have come back now,but have left many things undone. I still need to see those lush green grasslands in the monsoons,need to hike up to the top of Anaimudi, explore more of the sholas and see more of its wildlife. One cannot ask for a better landscape to learn how to sketch and paint. I so wish i get to go back!

Calotes T-shirt

Well.. here's the T-shirt i painted for my brother's birthday just last month. A Calotes lizard !

This is the second T-shirt painting i have done. Did the first one for a dear friend of mine, about more than a year back. But, I dont even have a proper picture of the first one and now its all faded off i heard :( . Last time, i had used acrylic paints to do it. But this time did it with Fabric colours, so hopefully it should stay.