I took the shanny painting over to the off-show fish rooms where I had arranged to meet Sam from the Aquarium. He looked over the shanny illustration, and gave it the 'OK'. I had explained my worries on using less than helpful references and having to piece together bits of scant details and guess the whole, but he was happy with the results. So I took it back to the studio where I scanned it in and did the usual colour adjustments to the black background. Then placed the finished image into the right folder on the computer and then dropped a copy of the image into the ID document. This is the same one that has the flounder on, so now, with the shanny image placed, the sign was complete and ready to print.
After printing, I trimmed it to size and laminated it, then put double-sided tape to the back and got the sign up on the wall by the tank in Seal and Penguin Coasts just before lunch.
After lunch I went out sketching; my fortnightly 'self-training' session. The weather was cold and overcast so I wrapped up warm again and headed out to find something to inspire me. Because it was cold many of the animals were tucked up in their indoor areas, some of which don't have a convenient area where I could tuck myself out of the way of the public. When I'm at work and out sketching I am very aware that sitting for a period of time in front of an enclosure is an 'obstruction' to the view for our visitors, so I try to sit/position myself somewhere less obstructive. I wandered round the gorilla moat but the gorilla were sensibly inside at that time, so I went on round to the top terrace and looked at the red pandas, sat at the top of their tree again, lucked out on the lion cubs... they were out, but tucked in the vegetation at the back of their enclosure. So on round to the flamingo paddock where I got inspired to sketch the red-breasted goose.. but sadly sitting on my little tripod stool (I forgot my foldaway campers chair) the handrail was perfectly at my eye line.. I had to either duck to see through the glass beneath it or stretch my neck to peer over the top. The goose looked great through the binoculars, but I just couldn't get in a position to comfortably sketch for a while. So I picked up my stool and sketch bag and headed back to the gorilla moat. I settled down on one of the benches tucked in a little bay just off from the pathway Through my binoculars I saw a lovely duck, a hybrid. It looked like it was a mix of pintail, shelduck and maybe mallard. I sat and sketch this duck for about an hour. I just watched it for a long time first, to get a feel subconsciously of it and see what positions it favoured. It was spending its time between little naps and preening.
I started to get cold, so I wandered on and found my friend and colleague, Anna, out and about putting up the signs she designed for the dinosaurs.
This is her putting in the screws to attach the ID sign for T Rex onto a pole. You can see the scale of T Rex behind her. After a quick chat to see how she was getting on... I moved onto to find a warm animal house to sketch in.
I had the Forest of Bird house in mind, but when I got there it had about 4 gardeners working in it. I looked around and the birds were all up high in the trees at the top of the roof... they were staying out of the gardeners way, so sketching opportunities would be scant, if any. So my next choice was the meerkat house where I tucked myself in the corner and though the afternoon was wearing on and visitor numbers were now thinning out, there was a steady stream coming through. But it was a lovely hour watching the meerkat's behaviour and listening to their constant chatter.
The house was closed just after 4.30pm, by Jo who works on that section. I headed back to the studio to have a warm drink in the 45 mins before the end of the day. I checked my emails and had a request form sent through from the mammal section for the European souslik, a type of ground squirrel. These are replacing the black-tailed prairie dogs that have been at he zoo ever since I have been there. I don't know why the prairie dogs have gone but the souslik are due to arrive at the beginning of April. So I got straight onto an internet search for souslik images before it was time to go home. They look like cute little critters.
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