Skansen Drawing

I've been doing too much travelling to stop and write a post of late, which is a very lucky state to be in, but not the best way to keep a blog moving! And I foolishly uploaded photos for a couple of posts at home, and then found myself away, with drafts in Blogger I couldn't finish because it doesn't work on the ipad. Seriously, why haven't they fixed that, the ipad's been around for a while now. So I have a few posts to do to catch up on my activities in Stockholm for three weeks. 

I'll start with a sketchbook catch up. I bought a new sketchbook on my last Helsinki visit at a great art store I've visited a few times, they have a fantastic range of stuff and good prices, but never terribly friendly. Not sure if its because I'm an English speaker and they don't get many, perhaps it's less rudeness and more their nervousness of dealing in English, or perhaps they're just art store snobs like the lady at my favourite art store in Adelaide, who would constantly judge my purchases - snooty tone 'you don't need to buy this quality, learners should just use this'. Sorry, rant over, anyway they had a sale on, so I went in for a few pencils and left with this book, some pastels, and more than a few pencils! 

I already have one of these Fabriano journals, but in A5, this one is closer to 25cm square. The paper has a lovely texture to it, and I like the tone. I do wish the coloured pages were more interspersed though. 

I made quite a few trips to Skansen, the weather being excellent, and there being baby Bears, Elk and Reindeer to draw. I purchased a yearly pass, after discovering the price is equivalent to only just over three visits, I must have made at least six visits this year alone before discovering this. I was so excited to hold my little membership card, such a strange nomadic unattached life we are leading, to be suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of belonging to something. 

Elk and foal, the foal was either asleep or running in circles, no posing for me

The Bear cubs and mother were delightful to watch, although somewhat tricky to see. After a couple of visits though I found the best chance was after 5.30pm. The days were quite warm, and I guess more so if you're wearing a big fur coat, so they must have a nice cool spot to sleep away the day, sometimes in the afternoon they would wander out and snooze in a pile under the tree.

Once the temperature went down a bit though, it was playtime, and that was entertaining to watch. Lots of rough and tumble, play fighting and investigating. I so wanted to catch some of it in sketches, it's hard though as you don't get a second glance at the pose because they've moved on.

Mamma Bear, on the lookout

Elk, she really wasn't enjoying the warm summer day

Study of Elk ear positions - watercolour pencil sketches

On another afternoon the Bears had lots of enrichment activities in their enclosure. The little ones trying to get to the bottom of the bucket were hilarious, upside down head first in, falling off the log, again so fun to watch but difficult to sketch the action well.

snoozing in the shade on a summer afternoon

Cuddles with Mum

So cute the way they all sleep intertwined, one would wake up or just wriggle, kicking the next one and the whole pile would squirm around and settle back to sleep.

Seals lazing in the afternoon sun