My dad would have been 93 the day I sketched this. I was thinking of him as I drew this view in Ravenala, from the dining area. It’s a lovely spot to lay back, read and watch passers-by. I used my TWSBI pen for this…while wishing the lines looked less washed out (I think it needed a clean). This day our daughter went for a dive, but vomited afterwards – she recovered quickly – and apparently this is not unusual.
Fri-9-Jan-2026
This sketch was done after a little walk down Basdaku Beach (also called White Beach), past the public area and a foreigner picking up trash…sufficing as a little exercise after stuffing a big fluffy fruit-filled and syrup-drizzled pancake for breakfast.
Thu-8-Jan-2026
I did this this sketch on our first day in Moalboal (at Ravenala Beach Bungalows) …which we spent chilling on the beach, enjoying the wonderful reef, reading and sketching. What a perfect and peaceful spot we found.
Tue-6-Jan-2026
In the afternoon (of the 16th) we drove into the hills first to go Barangay Buenavista where we would start our hike (to arrange it), then onwards to this well known beach. I wouldn’t recommend it if you don’t like crowds, videoke, garbage everywhere…and the sand was yellow not white (not that I care)! That mountain in the background is our hike for the next day.
Wed-16-Apr-2025
This day on our holiday we had another nice slow start, beginning with sitting under a talisay tree on the beach sketching and reading. After this sketch I realised I can get sun tanned (I don’t go brown but just lobster red) just from the light reflecting up from the beach!
Wed-16-Apr-2025
While heading to the take-off point for island hopping we had a major flat tyre and had to change to the spare…this seems to be a regular occurrence on our island trips! We still made the island hopping round the “three kings” (Tres Reyes) islands though. The biblical three kings are Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, and later on our holiday we were told (by our trekking guide) that the islands were formed from the wrecks of the ships of three kings who were suiters for a princess. This sketch was done on the first island. We didn’t stop at the second island, but stopped at the third for snorkelling (seeing clown and angel fish)…and then had a noisy pump-boat trip back to the mainland, for an hour or so.
Mon-14-Apr-2025
We had a nice lazy start to our holy week holiday beginning with an early (for me) snorkel, breakfast, browsing, coffee and sketching. This is the glorious view from where we stayed – peaceful and quiet, very few neighbours and a lovely verdant garden. No issues with the new paper – so far so good!
Sun-13-Apr-2025
After our snorkelling on the sixth and last full day of holiday, I just had time to sketch this on the beach outside the place we were staying. Most of the time I was sketching this I was surround by a crowd of kids who were watching me, with some telling me how they like to draw too…that’s always one of the most enjoyable parts of sketching in public (once you have plucked up the courage). I wasn’t very happy with the sketch though – it somehow seems too flat.
Thu-2-Jan-2025
On our fourth day we went to the Muelle Puerto Galera pier to arrange for island hopping. It was easily arranged and great fun. Our boat-man (Francis) took us to three beaches and naturally I decided to do a quick sketch on each one. The first sketch is of “Heart Beach” (named after a shape in the cliffs you can see from the sea), where there was a washed up (huge) buoy. The second one is of a log (also washed up) on “Long Beach” and the third is of “Haligi Beach” (which according to the internet means post or pillar). The ticket I stuck in was given when we paid the “environmental user fee” (a fee that is supposed to be used to help local government address environmental issues) when entering Puerto Galera
Tue-31-Dec-2024