summer in central otago - out and about in january

Vipers Bugloss and Californian Poppies, Gladstone Gap, Lake Hawea
Vipers Bugloss and Californian Poppies, Gladstone Gap, Lake Hawea

We've had a lovely start to the year with absolutely gorgeous weather - sunny days and no wind. Perfect for local outings with my sketchbook and sketching buddies. Here's a few snaps from January.

All of these sketches are done in The Perfect Sketchbook from Etchr Lab. They're pen and watercolour. Pen is a Lamy Safari with either DeAtrementis Document Ink or Rohrer & Klinger Sketch Ink. Waterclour is Daniel Smith. Brushes are Escoda Perla and Versatil.

View towards Mt Gold from Waimana Beach on Lake Wanaka on a hot, muggy day.
View towards Mt Gold from Waimana Beach on Lake Wanaka on a hot, muggy day.
Little boats on the shores of Lake Wanaka, just waiting to go out and play.
Little boats on the shores of Lake Wanaka, just waiting to go out and play.
Historic Bannockburn Sluicings - totally man-made, but stunning anyway.
Historic Bannockburn Sluicings - totally man-made, but stunning anyway.
Historic Stewart's Cottage, Bannockburn
Historic Stewart's Cottage, Bannockburn
Mount Brewster, Aspiring National Park
Mount Brewster, Aspiring National Park

As always, you can follow me on Instagram if you want to see more of my sketchbook outings.

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One of my all-time favourite paintings of a stormy day in a ruined Roman town in Spain.

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how to actually progress in watercolour

how to actually progress in watercolour

30 March 2026

This is a detailed post — grab a coffee. I get asked about this a lot, and it deserves a proper answer. I'm often asked some version of the same question: how do I actually progress in watercolour? ...

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