Time lapse: Buff Tailed Queen Bumblebee

A nature journal entry

In this post, I share a timelapse of a nature journal entry in a new Pith Kabosu sketchbook in my favourite taupe colour. It was nice to crack open a new sketchbook for this entry, when I spot my first bumblebees it feels like Spring is just around the corner.

The bee I drew in my sketchbook was one I spotted last week walking across a pavement. When queen bees emerge after winter, they are low in energy and will sometimes warm themselves on pavements to regain some strength. But this makes them vulnerable and I’d seen a few trampled bees over the past week. I kept an eye on it in the hope it would fly away, but it seemed lethargic so I carefully picked it up and placed it on a nearby branch of a blossom tree. The bee immediately honed in on a flower and started feeding. After about 20 seconds, it appeared revived and flew away to another tree.

When I got back to the studio I checked my photos, did some research and discovered it was a Buff Tailed Bumblebee. It felt a privilege to see the bee close-up and I hope I helped it in some small way.

Full materials list at the end of this post.

Materials used:

• Pith Kabosu sketchbook

• Diamine ink in Grey, Onyx Black and Pumpkin

• Caran d’Ache Luminance pencils - Golden Bismuth Yellow, Terracotta, Brown Ochre, White

• Derwent Lightfast Pencils - Mars Black

• Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt 12B

• Ecoline Liquid Watercolour in Light Yellow (201) and Chartreuse (233)

• Ecoline Brush Pen in Cold Grey (717) and Cold Grey Light (738)

I planned to use a yellow Unison pastel but in the end, the liquid watercolour was enough for a yellow base.

I hope you enjoyed this post and it inspires you to spend some time on your nature journal. 🌿

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