Earlier in the year I went sketching at the zoo in Cap Ferrat. It's small & overpriced & the lions gave me dirty looks! I found a much better safari park in Fréjus, further inland towards Provence. It's a lot bigger & one can drive around at leisure. This time of year it's free of squawking parents & their monkey- like children who so often behave like the real zoo animals in these places.
At Fréjus zoo animal & artist alike remain un-hassled, bliss!
All these drawings were made over two visits in October.
See more of my zoo sketches here & here.
Matt, thanks for your comments on my blog. These bird drawings are gorgeous. Simple yet specific.
ReplyDeleteAt the top, I love your shorthand way of describing clumps of feathered wings. On the bottom page, I love the way the watercolor strokes feel like reflected light from the water.
Hey Bobby you're welcome. Thanks for your comment here. Most of those birds were tricky to draw because they're so shy-they kept hiding! The flamingoes were more forthcoming, displaying their usual preening behaviour-like arrogant catwalk models!
ReplyDeleteGreat sketches!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful study of shapes and design.
Grazie mille Gabrieli!
ReplyDeleteThese are awesome. You're amazing.
ReplyDeleteFantastic sketches - so full of life and you really seem to have captured their personalities.
ReplyDeleteYour sketches are full of life a pleasure to see.
ReplyDeleteThese life sketches are cool! I love the strength in the marker stroke, The bird and elephant ones are awesome! :D
ReplyDeletereally nice. those vultures are so good.
ReplyDeleteI love the flow in the camel on the right, the weight in the elephants, and the subtleness of the crains. The monkeys are playful too! Great work Matt, such and inspiration :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the trip round the zoo matt, great stuff...
ReplyDeletecoucou matt, ce sont des supers croquis plein de vie. On oublierait presque qu'ils sont dans des cages. Sinon, j'esper que tu vas bien et peux tu me dire si c'est trop tard pour les monstres?
ReplyDeleteseb
J'ai des new sketches sur
www.nojokh.blogspot.com
nice, i imagine the lemurs were a challenge, but these drawings in particular are full of life. Done at the end of a session?
ReplyDeleteYeah, the lemurs don't stay still more than 2 seconds! The drawings are over the course of two 6 hour days-I'd usually warm up with the elephant as she didn't move around tooo much & leave the big cats for last once I'd got up to speed.
ReplyDeleteTwo 6 hour days in a zoo! reminds me when i had two 10 hour days of martial art sketches...You don't need drugs when you give your brain and eyeballs such a kick. Just a beer and a bed :)
ReplyDeleteMERAVIGLIA!!!
ReplyDeleteThese sketches are so wonderful!!!!
GREAT WORK!!!
compliments and thanks for share!
:D
You should show all these drawings to the zoo-get involved in some publicity for them and you. Imagine posters with these wonderful images!!
ReplyDeleteGrazie Ben!
ReplyDeleteCheers M@-I'll send them some copies & let you know what they say about your proposal-10percent for you if it comes off?
Amazing! I really love this work, the birds and the camel are my favourites!
ReplyDeleteHey Matt. Like the animal drawings, particularly the Vultures. Nice feather rendering on the bodies
ReplyDeleteCheers Dave, I found the vultures particularly tricky to draw. It's hard to capture their behaviour n paper.
ReplyDeleteah sketchbooks...very nice
ReplyDeletei wish u dont stay there all d time:)
ReplyDeletebeautiful wrk...
Fabulous drawings, Matt. Thanks for sharing. I particularly like the birds and the camels - I've been going up to the zoo here in London a lot trying to really get my head around camels in prep for a sculpture I'm planning. One abruptly went from mooching around to bucking and kicking, scattering llamas in all directions. Great to see him move like that. I suspect he was feeling the cold even under his many layers :) AM
ReplyDeleteYeah, you're awesome. Great work,
ReplyDeleteMAC
I like the birds and camels sketches, great job.
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