For many years I had the privilege of traveling to Australia a couple of times a year, yet it was not until my last trip, the twentieth time, that I finally saw the icon of Australia, a kangaroo. And even then it was from a train window as Tricia (Travels Through My Lens) and I were on our way from Melbourne to Sydney – a fleeting glance as they bounded over a hill.

‘Roos and Koalas may be iconic, but the diversity of nature, unfamiliar to my other-side-of-the-hemisphere experience, are abundant. Flocks of colorful birds, spiders that I sadly never sketched, and the most amazing plants you can imagine.

To get a real feel for a place go where the locals go, and slow down enough to sketch a plant, a spider, a tree, a rock in the water, a mountain. Nature sketching is a part of travelsketching.

This colorful flower was in the city park in Darwin, Australia.

Here are two from Japan. The trees in Japan have the most interesting shapes, I sketched this one from a bench while soaking up the quiet ambience of the park.

The plants and planter are from a quiet little hideaway at the Niwa Hotel, they called it a refreshment place, a pond and plants, on the third floor yet – a quiet place to refresh.

Learn more about combining nature sketching with your travels, be they near or far, at this upcoming workshop.