Sketching at Karehana Bay, Plimmerton

We went to Karehana Bay in Plimmerton today and my kids built a sandcastle long enough for me to sketch Plimmerton Boating Club across the beach. I have looked longingly at this vista for several years now, wondering when I will ever be able to take my eyes of my kids long enough to sketch it. Today was ¨that day¨. In the background is Mana Island, and even further back is part of the South Island (probably the hills of the Marlborough Sounds?). We could still see snow on the Seaward Kaikoura Mountain Range on the South Island, and I was not at all surprised because the water was jolly cold. But we enjoyed wading up to our knees anyway, of course. I saw a surprisingly large crab pincer poking out from under a rock but when I looked closer it wasn't there any more. Mmmm. I do love the fact that the water here is so clear that you can see everything so well. Although I have an irrational fear of having my toes nipped by crabs (which I am sure is nothing compared to the fear that the crab has of me stepping on it), I am always really happy to spot one of these little fellows in the sand beneath the waves. We built more sandcastles together and had fish and chips on the beach. A perfect spring day.

I enjoyed sketching this, and I think this is due to having read Eckard Funck's book Richtig Sehen, Locker Skizzieren. It is in german, but I speak german. One of his techniques is to figure out which are the 4 or 5 major lines in the picture (you imagine them drawn in big black marker pen in your mind), and if these get drawn first, everything else can fall into place properly with the right perspective.

Rockpools south of Karehana Bay, Plimmerton.