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Saving the best for the last hehehehe.

Campsite was buzzin’ with these beauties and it was my mission to document as many many possible ( thank you to everyone who contributed to my collection!) Tried to make a box to get some dead ones home, but some of them started smelling really funky. So that could not be.

To give some context, I have a deep fascination for bugs and find them to be the best subjects for a great detailed pen drawing. As a third grader, I wanted to be an entomologist, but I guess i’m pretty happy drawing them :)

My apologies to Theo and Pooja, who I terrorised throughout camp with my harmless collection :P

No bugs were harmed in the making of this art. Bugs were drawn posthumously only.

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A large chunk of this month was spent in an old school surrounded by trees and cicadas. Every now and then, amidst the crazy rituals on camp, I would steal some moments of quiet for myself. Falling asleep listening to Mozart under this little red roof, or laying in the back of Sanemitzu's truck, almost hidden from everything else and watching spectacular sunsets and unreal clouds.

Little drawings from the campsite, and around.

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One of my workshops, was ofcourse, about drawing on location but I was incredibly apprehensive of how a group of teenagers, most of whom have no active interest in painting/ drawing. I really wasn’t sure how they would react to being asked to sit out in the heat for 3 hours to paint.

The kohai amazed me with what they did in that time and here are some of their paintings! Most of them don’t paint and it was very rewarding to see all their art put up together :)

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Soon, we packed up from Kyoto and moved to the campsite in Okayama!

Our campsite was an old school, Futsumi Rinkan Gakko. Our campsite overlooked a tiny village that we were requested to keep away from, so as to not disturb the residents, and so, it was referred to as No-No land :P

One of the most incredible things about the camp is their philosophy about food. They want people from all countries and cultures to be able to share their food together and so, they put together a team of some of the best vegan chefs in the world.

Every meal at gakko was a treat. Fresh ingredients, simply prepared and served with a lot of love and care. I have never felt as light while eating so much! Yoshiko-san and Noriko-san were truly camp treasures.

While we got things ready on location, we also met with Kenta, the one who envisioned Gakko and went sailing with him. The bright blue ocean was dotted with pearlescent jellyfish as we crossed Naoshima and spotted one of Yayoi Kusama’s fmaous pumpkins, and headed to a traditional onsen.

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I travel to draw, and on work trips, it is my biggest motivation to wrap up my work quickly. Not drawing, is, excuse the drama, like not breathing and I get restless when I haven’t had time to draw in my journal. I see better when I draw and it is my way of remembering the world around me.

On a half day off, Ian and I decided to hike up to Fushimi Inari to draw. The gates themselves were quite crowded, and the day, insanely hot and so I found myself drawn to this somewhat quiet, leafy spot overlooking the trail.

There were small altars behind us and I could hear very familiar rhythms and chants, though they were in Japanese. The faint chanting, the smell of burning incense and the sound of koi splashing in the pond made for a beautiful quiet, but not-so-quiet spot to sit at :)

Sweaty and content, we started walking back to catch a train to the hostel, but were derailed by the Kamo river. We were about to cross the bridge to go over to the other side, but the heat was truly sapping us of all energy. So, we simply decided to dunk ourselves in the river, fully clothed.

The wet clothes kept us ventilated till we reached back to the hostel :)

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It’s not often, but somedays I am full of energy. I was so restless after a few days of no sketching that I just hunted for places to draw on my day off. I saw the Gion Matsuri parade, headed to Arashiyama and then somehow managed to spend the evening drawing in the Gion district of Kyoto.

Stumbled upon this peaceful wooden beauty while the Gion Matsuri parade made it's way through Gion, in the background. Quick sketch + plus a few bug bites.

Next morning was a working day, but I headed out for an early morning walk to the Kiyomizu Dera temple.  At 6am, the summer heat had yet not seeped into the roads and it was an extremely pleasant walk up to the temple from my hostel. At this hour, the temple was free from the rush of people. Quiet, green and peaceful, the temple too, seemed to have just begun its morning and it was a privilege to be there and soak in the atmosphere.

Nestled amidst massive greens, blue skies and chirping birds, you can see the entire city of Kyoto from the temple.

I was ready for the day after this beautiful morning :)

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Pooji and I used our day off to visit the Bamboo groves in Arashiyama.

It felt incredible to be surrounded by these creaking stalks of bamboo that towered over our existence. It was therapeutic to be enveloped by green and to look and listen to the bamboo moving with the gentle breeze.

I wish that the place was marked as a silent zone though.

In classic move, I marked the date on my sketch wrong, yet again. Also had the best matcha ice cream of my life.

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I spent the last summer making camp with some truly wonderful people at Gakko, in Japan.

Gakko is a project that brings together individuals from different fields around the world to create one of a kind collaborative experience. I was part of a team of 6 people, and together we made camp with young students from around the world.

The team spent the first 10 days in Kyoto along with the directors from Gakko, to prototype workshops for the Kohai.‘Gakko’ is the japanese word for school, and the ‘Kohai’ are the students. We were called ‘Sempai’ and the relationship between Sempai and Kohai is like one between a mentor and a mentee, or between a senior you look upto in school and a junior.

Preparing for camp was a deeply reflective experience that required us to be truthful and authentic about our own choices and investigations.

Between preparing for camp, we did have moments to see the beautiful city that we were in, and I kept a journal to document my month in Japan.

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Spent the last week in sun, rain, hail and snow amidst walking tents and cows in sleeping bags. 'The tent that walked', is going to be the horror movie of the year. Special effects by wind, hail and the IndiaHikes staff.

Blue skies. White peaks. Crissssspy fresh air. Valley of the gods/ Har ki dun

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This was one of the easier treks that I have gone for, and I was pretty casual about it.The weather was a solid reminder of how unpredictable the mountains can be and how they should never be underestimated. The rain and hail forced us to change our route and take a break in the ancient village of Osla. The mist engulfed everything and we froze our butts off. It was so cold that I wore everything I owned, even my poncho, just for insulation, even when it wasn't raining. Spend the afternoon playing dumb charades without getting up or taking our taking out hands out of our pockets :p

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Began the Har Ki Dun trek or the valley of gods at Sankri, with the team from IndiaHikes.

There is something supremely satisfying about taking a moment to sit and watch the skies clear and the clouds drift after a long walk in the rain :) Pauni Garaat campsite Annual Family Trek :)

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After several delayed flights and trains, I finally arrived in Jodhpur. Through narrow, impossible twisty lanes and cool blue walls, I travelled to the innards of the city. Squashed fairly precariously, our haveli rose up against the tiny houses that surrounded us in a sea of blue, speckled with bright sunshine and fresh laundry.

We walked through the lanes in their cool shade, admiring every colour and house as we walked up to Ranisar Talaab. We ended up at Padamsagar Talaab where the still water reflected the blue sky, the golden sun and the fort. People ziplined through the reflections, a few ducks swam around and locals sat and threw chunks of atta in the water.

A man lit his incense stick and offered us some atta to throw in the pond, and started telling us about his rituals and about the city of Jodhpur. We sat for quite a while, peering into the murky depths of the pool, enjoying the peace around us.

Mandore 9kms or so from Jodhpur, these gardens are ideal for a lazy afternoon. Their mildly dishevelled appearance and long, unkempt grasses full of downy feathers are almost charming. There seems to be little hype about these beautiful monuments that you can just waltz into, and enjoy the shade and cool stone. Beware of cuckoo talkative men with bizarre stories and also, troupes of langurs.

Golden Marble, Golden Sun. Jaswant Thada.

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Went down a steep slippery trail to be a little closer to this insanely blue ocean. The waves whoosing in and out, in and out, incessantly. Saw a bunch of whales playing and spouting, so in sync, like an orchestra. I'd climb stupidly slippery trails anyday to be closer to such joy.

Mcway Falls.So many blues blending together so beautifully.

A friend told me about the Monterey Bay Aquarium, 7 years ago. I became fascinated by it and hoped and prayed that I'd get to go and draw there some day. The aquarium is so beautiful and so full of wonder. I was so overwhelmed by all the squishes that I saw, I thought I would cry :p The jellyfish were so fascinating. In a pitch dark room, these illuminated creatures pulsated, at their own steady rhythm of obliviousness, unaware of the gasps of awe and surprise around them.

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Watching the mist dance over Tenaya Lake. So surreal. Yosemite National Park.

Tunnel view. Saying hello to some legends. I'll be back to get more familiar with y'all someday :)

Big Red.

Giant sequoias :))))) Enjoying feeling tiny.

Yosemite was such a  treat to the senses!

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Lighthouse at Point Reyes. Beautiful day and beautiful horizons. Saw a whale tail as well! 4 rounds of stair cardio for kritika didi =time taken for this sketch. Win-win.

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Land's End. What a beautiful name, it leaves so much to the imagination. I wonder what Ferdinand Magellan would have thought of it :p Few things are as meditative as watching the light and water intertwine, and go about about their day... Fading in, fading out, continuously.

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Overlooking Alcatraz. Roaring winds, rising fog and a numbing cold. The wind whips my hair and sends my brushes scattering. A tiny dead butterfly flies off from the pages of my sketchbook.