Costa Rica Nature Journal/Sketching Workshop ~ 9

With the workshop officially finished, we had some time to explore. Jocelyn and Marilyn headed down to the waterfall and beach (where they discovered this lovely little poison dart frog) while I decided on the Ridge Trail because it has the best wildlife.

I wasn't disappointed. Barely half an hour into my hike I froze at a rustle in the underbrush, sidling close to a tree to conceal my silhouette. Soon, about twenty feet away, a black shape appeared (about the size of a bulldog, I'd say) browsing its way through the forest on a path parallel to mine. I could see, in small glimpses, that it was a peccary, which usually travels in groups, or "sounders," so I held still for awhile after it passed, and sure enough, one by one, five more passed me by without noticing me. The breeze was coming my way, and did they ever s.t.i.n.k! I would have taken that odor for a skunk or a civet cat if I hadn't actually seen them.

Later, to my delight, I was menaced by scowling, screaming spider monkeys in the top of some walking palms, and remembering Gerardo's caveat that they would 1. shake branches, 2. throw things, 3. pee on me, then 4. pee and poop on me .....I left shortly after the curtain rose on the "throwing things" scene.

The Ridge Trail is El Remanso's longest trail, ending on the beach if you take it all the way, but I had scheduled a sketching class with Gerardo (the naturalist) and Elyer (the head waiter) at the lodge after noon, so I only went halfway before I sat down for awhile for some pleine air sketching and journaling. Then I headed back to set up for class.

The class with Gerardo and Elyer was great. Both of them want to be able to draw what they see; Elyer is particularly interested in insects and takes great photos of them. So when Elyer expressed interest last year in learning to draw, I promised a session this year. Gerardo was delighted to join us, and Adri, who took the sketching workshop last year joined us for a brush-up because she seldom finds time to draw.

With Adri and Gerardo both interpreting for Elyer, the class went swiftly, and we got in a couple of hours of class before their duties called them back to work. I'll be interested to see if either of them is able to carve out time to practice and improve their skills. It's not easy to find time when you have a full-time job.

I took a lot of photos of their progress, and I wish I could share them with you. But, of course, they were in the camera I lost to pilfering in one of the airports I passed through on the way home. Adri took the photos you see here, and I am so grateful that she passed them along for you to see. Although they don't show Gerardo's and Elyer's excellent results. Ah well......

We were just finishing up when someone spotted a sloth in a tree near the cabinas. Gera grabbed the scope and set it up on the hillside, and several of the guests trekked down to see. Gera was taking close-up pictures for the guests through the scope, one camera after another (he shot me a great one {sob}) and I think he took this photo for Marilyn, although maybe she took it herself. The sloth is looking toward the left in this photo, with its rear toward us and its head pointing out at upper left.

This was Jocelyn and Marilyn's last day, too, and they had been down to the waterfall and the beach again, and were now, in the waning day, working on their journals industriously, Jocelyn at her little table, Marilyn cross-legged on her bed. It was truly gratifying to think that I have given them some new tools for their sketching and journaling! I spent some companionable time with them, and photographed all their gorgeous journal pages for posterity.

But since I don't have those pictures, here are a few Marilyn and Jocelyn provided, with more from Kathy, in that order:


Marilyn's

Jocelyn's

Kathy's






The next morning, Jocelyn and Marilyn caught the early van to Puerto Jimenez, but my plane didn't leave until later, and Joel, who owns the lodge was also leaving then, so we caught a later van to PJ. But before we left, I took my journal down the trail for one last session.

Now, leaving El Remanso, I was starting off on the second adventure of my journey ~ to culminate in a visit to the Monteverde Cloud Forest ~ my own personal foray into the Costa Rican wilds ~ alone and con solimente un poquito Espanol.

Costa Rica Nature Journal/Sketching Workshop ~ 7

Day 3 of our workshop. COLOR ~ the workshop day we've been building up to!

Before it even began, starting at 5:45am, Jocelyn, Marilyn and I went with Gerardo on a birding trip while Kathy caught up on her beachcombing. (Kathy would have to leave early the next morning, missing the last day of class, and she hadn't spent enough time with the waves.)

The birds were very forthcoming, and Gerardo, tirelessly searching the forest fringe with both naked eye and heavy scope, showed us many special birds (see my list above ~ how about a bare-throated tiger heron? or a green-breasted mango, a hummingbird, with young at the nest!)!

Back at the lodge, after our usual gorgeous breakfast, we prepared to work. Usually my classes contain students who haven't yet worked up the nerve to color their sketches. Not this class! Kathy had arrived in class the first day with scenic watercolors in her journal. Jocelyn and Marilyn had already been watercoloring their journal sketches with great verve. But none of them had much experience working with watercolor pencils, so, after a gentle critique of the previous afternoon's homework (two or more journal pages with attached ephemera plus an improved poem) we launched into the watercolor pencil workbook, Color Your Sketches, with vigor.

Each day of my workshop has its own workbook. I have designed the workbooks to fulfil several purposes: 1) to augment and give background for the instruction I give in class, 2) to provide a place to make notes, experiment with techniques, and in some cases to actually do an assignment, and 3) to give the student a concrete resource to take home from the workshop. Often there is additional material in the workbook for the student to continue working on later. My students appreciate these workbooks a great deal. This workshop has three workbooks: Sketch in Your Journal; Journal in Your Sketchbook; and Color Your Sketches.

We began with a brief journey around the color wheel, trying out swatches and blending colors to get familiar with the use of the pencils. Then we added color to see how that changes the hue, intensity, and appearance of the colors. I showed the students some different ways to get color effects, then I handed out worksheepts and we did a step-by-step exercise adding color to a gorgeous spotted orchid.

Since the students already had experience in watercolor, this class went more quickly than usual so I handed out a sheet of foliage patterns to be pasted into their journals for quick reference. They practiced foliage patterns for awhile. Tomorrow's assignment would be a beach landscape, which would use these patterns (or take-offs on them), so the practice was useful preparation for rendering palm trees and other types of foliage.

By now, we were all well acquainted, and having a great time chatting and working together. All three of my students had joined other resort guests the night before in a raucous card game, joined by a fearless praying mantis which stole the show. I was a bit sorry I'd missed the fun, but mostly I was pleased that my students were enjoying themselves at all levels: the beautiful surroundings, the sketching and journaling opportunities, the classes themselves, and the other guests

The homework assignment for tomorrow would be to produce two or more well-designed journal pages including some foliage, with color added to at least one of the pages. I was doing the homework as well as the students ~ I'm of the opinion that an instructor's efforts can serve as good demonstrations of techniques, styles and ideas, as long as the production of it doesn't get in the way of the student's instruction. In other words, if the students need my input, I don't work on anything during class. If they are progressing nicely at their own pace and don't need help, I use that time to color my own sketches or to make examples of what is needed for the assignment

After class, I took up my journal, water bottle, and camera and headed up the Carablanca Trail (see the map) to see what I could see. There were still a couple of hours of light, and I wanted to get misted by a waterfall and see if I could spot some wildlife. Check out my journal page to see what I encountered!

Guests are given a map of the El Remanso forest trails and beach when we arrive, and I glued it onto a page in my journal so that I would always have it handy. So far on this stay at El Remanso, I'd only been down to the beach, so a forest walk was high on my list of adventures.

The forest here is beautiful, with giant buttressed trees ~ buttresses are fin-like ridges at the bases of trees . Buttresses spread out like fingers, helping to support the tree over a wider area of ground. There are lots of palms and vines. Up in the trees you are likely to see monkeys if you are out for even a little while. Agoutis, like long-legged, long-toed rabbits (see my sketch), browse in the underbrush, and peccaries (wild pigs) roam the forest in groups of up to forty or fifty. There's no need to be afraid of them if you don't threaten them.

Flashes of red in the forest are likely to be passiflora flowers. They are about 4" across and look like brilliant scarlet stars hanging on vines. Insects and frogs fill the air with chirps and buzzes and high buzzing whines ~ with ventriloquistic qualities that make them next to impossible to track down.

By now, it was almost dark, so I got out my little flashlight (it fits on the bill of a cap, and makes lots of light) I got back to the lodge in time for a mango smoothie and lots of good conversation with my estudientes and the other guests before dinner.

NOTE: Kathy, Marilyn and Jocelyn, Adriana, Gerardo and others: I'm telling this the way I recall it and from notes in my journal. I may not always get it right, or you might want to add something to the tale, so please feel free to comment on ANYthing, with observations, your own tidbits, or corrections if I'm wrong about something. I value your input.