Mangosteens are tropical evergreen trees native to Southeast Asia which produce this delicious sweet and juicy segmented fruit with a hard purple rind. The fruit is supposed to have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. I often see ads for the MX3 food supplement which is made from the whole fruit, including the rind…apparently some studies have shown that it has joint pain benefits, but I just like to eat the fruit!
Thu-2-Jul-2026
For this sketch I just drew the first thing I saw – for the nth time – while I chatted to my my mum using the MyTello app (which is a great replacement for the long lost Skype).
Thu-11-Jun-2026
I’ve drawn bananas so many times that I’ve lost count – however it’s always good practice. These are saba (or plantain or cooking bananas) – and are supposedly healthier than common dessert bananas because of their high resistant starch content. We bought these to cook them green…and they were surprisingly delicious – but I also like to eat them ripe.
Sat-2-May-2026
Here are the colours I can get with my (mini) limited palette – this time less greens and more blues and reds.
Tue-21-Apr-2026
The day before this, I missed a sketch as I was busy making my next sketchbook. I was also feeling a little lethargic – so a sketch of fruit seemed like a good easy subject. Tangerines are almost too simple to sketch but I enjoyed the colour contrast and reflections on the white plate. I was channeling my inner @paschpaint when I sketched this one (check out that account and the work of Rachel Grossman if you really want to see fabulous bright paintings of citrus fruits).
Thu-2-Apr-2026
I confess that one of the first things I thought when we were buying some fruit in the supermarket, was “that would be nice to sketch”. I do like to eat watermelon too of course…plus I admit I have sketched watermelons before (see sketch No.768)…but I enjoyed having another go!
Tue-17-Mar-2026
In this sketch I followed the suggestion of Koosje Koene, and Draw Tip Tuesday by starting with a wash of colour before drawing. This helps to loosen up when starting a sketch and facing a blank page.
Wed-14-Jan-2026
Why not kick off a short break in sketching (I missed a day), with some fruit? I picked the simplest I could find – some avocados. Mostly for this one, I used watercolour pencils.
Tue-13-Jan-2026
I missed an evening sketch the night before this, so I started my day with a coffee and a sketch of fruit on the coffee table in front of me – keeping it bright and cheery as I listened to the gloomy news on the BBC world service. I always find sketching a good way to relax and put aside work and worldly worries.
Sat-27-Nov-2025