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"Spots in the
Grass" © Alison
Nicholls |
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"Running
from the Rain" © Alison Nicholls |
Art Safaris
On an Art Safari you will enjoy the luxury and comfort of southern Africa's
best safari camps while sketching and painting an exciting array of wildlife
species and landscapes. Wildlife Artist Alison Nicholls will help you
capture both the movement and the quieter times of the African bush.
Paint
Africa
Paint Africa trips combine a short wildlife safari with another destination
of your choice. For example, a South African Paint Africa trip might combine
a 3-night Art Safari in a private camp on the outskirts of Kruger National Park
with a 4 night Cape Winelands visit.
Both Art Safaris and Paint
Africa trips offer exclusive art tuition with Alison
and a relaxed and friendly creative environment. You will leave
with a new understanding of the wildlife and landscapes of Africa
and a sketchbook brimming with your own drawings and paintings.
These unique trips allow you to work at your own pace and are suitable
for beginners or more practiced artists. They provide a wonderful
means of enhancing your sketching abilities while still enjoying
all that you expect from an African vacation. Non-painting partners
are welcome.
The
Artist / Tutor
Alison Nicholls is
a wildlife and landscape artist who lived in Botswana and
Zimbabwe for nearly nine years and has traveled extensively
throughout the southern African region. Through her watercolor
paintings and sketches Alison captures her impressions
of Africa - the wildlife, landscapes and the elusive
quality of the light. As your tutor, Alison will pass on
her knowledge of art techniques and materials, but equally
importantly, she will use her extensive experience of painting
in the African bush to show you how to capture all aspects
of wildlife - the movement as well as the quieter
moments.
Alison is a Signature member
of the Worldwide Nature Artists Group and frequently donates
paintings to conservation groups in the southern African region
to help with fundraising efforts. Her most recent donations
were to the Cheetah Conservation Fund (based in Namibia) and
the Painted Dog Conservation project (based in Zimbabwe). The
US Department of State has also used one of her paintings as
the backdrop for a flyer promoting the "Coalition Against
Wildlife Trafficking" initiative.
Alison's latest
exhibition of watercolors was hosted by the Botswana Mission
to the United Nations in Manhattan. Recently she began a program
of slide talks aimed at showcasing southern Africa and its
wildlife, with 75% of her slide talk fees donated to the Painted
Dog Conservation project in Zimbabwe. Click here to visit Alison's
website http://www.nichollswildlifeart.com/. |
Alison Nicholls sketching in Africa
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Alison sketching from a vehicle
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Trip Details
Our trips are designed for artists and potential artists of all standards.
Beginners are welcome, as are non-painting partners. The relaxed
and fun atmosphere allows each participant to work at their own
pace and in their own way.
The only requirement is a desire to sketch and a blank sketchbook!
Pencil and watercolor sketch © Alison
Nicholls
Prior to departure, Alison will
contact you to discuss your particular interests so that when we
depart we will already have a good idea of what everyone hopes to
achieve during their trip (even if your hope is just to have a great
time and try something new!). We will decide our agenda for each
day and depending on your wishes, we may find an appropriate landscape
to paint for 3 hours or we may wander, stopping frequently, to take
advantage of quick sketching opportunities.
Between game activities
or after the day's painting is finished, Alison will conduct
short workshops covering topics such as composition, color palette
and the use of light. Guests will be free to attend all sessions
or relax if they prefer. Each evening we will plan our activities
for the following day.
During the Art Safari portion of
your trip the majority of time will be spent sketching wildlife from
an open safari vehicle, although there will also be opportunities
for us to leave the vehicle and spend longer periods of time painting
landscapes. Due to the Art Safari content of the trips, guest numbers
will be limited to a maximum of 5 on each trip so that all participants
can travel in one vehicle with Alison and the Safari Guide. Groups
of more than 5 can be accommodated on request.
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Elephant sketch © Alison
Nicholls |
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Lioness sketch © Alison
Nicholls |
Itinerary
We will customize an itinerary upon request for small
groups or individuals. Scheduled departure dates will be arranged in the near
future. Please contact us if you would like to be informed of scheduled
departure dates as they become available. Art Safaris and Paint Africa trips
are available in a variety of African countries. Please contact us with your
requirements and we will happily talk to you about possibilities in the area
of your choice.
Materials
Participants may bring
their own materials or for an additional fee, we can supply a kit
as described below.
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Alison’s “Bush
Painting Kit” |
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Victoria Falls
(pencil & watercolor) © Alison
Nicholls |
Alison's Sketching Kit
• Pencils and Pens. I normally
take HB pencils, a 2B pencil, a 6B pencil, twenty or so watercolor
pencils, three or four black roller-point/uniball pens (water resistant,
fade resistant, 0.4mm) plus pencil sharpener, eraser and soft pencil
case. If you prefer you can also use colored pencils, pastel pencils
or any other kind of pens or pencils.
• Small portable set of
Watercolor Paints. The set should contain pans not tubes of paint
and should have mixing palettes and water container attached so that
you can hold your entire paint set in one hand and paint with the
other. I use a Windsor & Newton Artist‚s Field Box Set.
• Watercolor Paintbrushes.
I carry Windsor & Newton Cotman brushes Series III Round (or
equivalent) sizes 14, 8 and 3. I store them in my pencil case, protected
by small pieces of plastic tubing.
• Spiral-bound watercolor
pad. Minimum size 12" x 9". Maximum size 17" x
14". Cold press 140lb paper, normally containing 12 sheets
each.
• A spiral-bound sketchbook
preferably with hard front and back covers (at least one hard cover
is essential as we won't be using drawing boards when sketching
in the safari vehicle). Minimum size 12" x 9". Maximum
size 17" x 14". White paper. 65lb-75lb paper. At least
50 sheets.
• Plastic Container for
extra water. Must have a secure lid.
• Plastic Mixing Palette
(in addition to those on your portable watercolor kit).
• Two Binder / Bulldog
Clips large enough to hold the pages of your sketchbook and watercolor
pads in place.
• Soft portfolio or carrying
case to contain all sketching and painting materials. This should
be large enough to carry your sketchpads but no larger than necessary
as you will need to take it with you on the vehicle.
• You may also need a lightweight
easel and lightweight folding chair. This will depend upon the trip
destinations.
• Don’t
forget a good pair of binoculars and a camera.
If you bring your own paints, watercolor
pencils or pastel pencils, remember to make sure you have plenty
of reds, oranges, yellows, purples & blues as well as browns
and greens. The beauty of Africa is in its colors so don't
limit yourself to just the greens and browns you might expect to
see. The practicalities of traveling in the African bush mean that
mediums with long drying times are not recommended. Pans of watercolor
paint are preferable to tubes due to limited space for mixing palettes
while seated in a safari vehicle, however if you prefer to bring
tubes for painting when we are not aboard the vehicle please do.
Please also note that many mixing mediums and aerosol fixatives are
not allowed on international flights so if you intend to use pastels
you may not be able to fix them.
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"Broken
Tusk" © Alison
Nicholls |
How to
Book an Art Safari with Alison
Please contact us for details on how to book an Art Safari to Africa
with Alison.
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to Scheduled
Safari Packages
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