Digital Sketch of A Wooden Canoe

by Charles Roring
A few hours ago, I was in a fast passenger ferry traveling from Waisai town of Raja Ampat to Pelabuhan Rakyat (People's Harbor) of Sorong city. The boat was full of people both local and tourists. It took approximately 2 hours to reach Sorong.
I decided to open Autodesk Sketchbook application and began to draw. At first, I did not know what to draw. I just drew lines after lines and then they slowly formed an object that I frequently saw at sea when traveling in Raja Ampat. It was a small canoe. Usually both ends of it were pointed. But here, in this archipelago, people cut one of its end to form a flat stern where they could install a small outboard engine. A 15 horse power engine was the usual prime mover of the boat. However, if the boat was bigger, it could be installed with one or two 40-hp Yamaha outboard engines. This motorized canoe was used by islanders to transport people and goods. They often raised the walls of the canoe by adding wooden planks and reinforced them with wooden ribs.
I continued to draw the background of the boat by adding green vegetation. In thirty minutes, I was able to finish my drawing.

Dug out Canoe from Raja Ampat islands

After that I took a short brake by trying to lean and sleep on the upright seat of the boat. Well, I could only close my eyes without fully falling asleep. Arriving in Sorong, I continued my trip to KFC fast food resto in Saga Mall to have my late lunch.
Well, I am now in the KFC writing this post about the dug-out canoe that I drew while in the fast ferry boat.

Male Red Bird of Paradise

Drawing of male Red Bird of Paradise

I often go to Raja Ampat to guide tourists who want to watch birds in the forest. One of the most important watching targets is Red Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea rubra). The bird lives in the islands of Waigeo, Gam and Batanta. They can be found deep in the forest. We have to wake up at 04.30 to make preparations such as wearing dark green t-shirt and hiking shoes. Before leaving for the observation site, we need to drink some coffee, tea and eat biscuits or bread. 

At 05.00 we usually start hiking to the lek of Red Bird of Paradise. It takes approximately 1 hour to reach it. The footpath is narrow and it is still dark when we walk. We have to use flashlight. Some parts of the path are steep. One hour later, we will arrive at the lek. The light from the rising sun begins to reach the canopy of the forest. It is the time when male Red Birds of Paradise fly to their lek and begin calling their female counterparts. 

I usually bring a pair of 10×42 mm Visionking binoculars. This birding device greatly enhances my birdwatching experience. The tour participants who I guide bring even better binoculars such as the ones that are manufactured by Nikon, Leica or Swarovski. 

When the female Red BOP comes, the male ones will start performing their courtship dances. They compete one another to win the heart of the female Red Bird of Paradise. Sometimes hey fight. The male Red Bird of Paradise that presents the best dance and beautiful feather will receive green light from the female Red BOP for mating. The whole show ends at 09.00. Its the time when we walk back to the beach and return to the guesthouse where we stay.

In my opinion, Red Bird of Paradise is a very beautiful bird. So, it will be nice if I can make some drawings of the bird. I have made some drawings of paradise birds that I upload into my accound in redbubble shop. The drawing in this post was created on 29 July 2019. 

It is now available as prints on various products such as t-shirts, mugs, water bottles, iPhone or Samsung Galaxy skins/ cases, pillows, scarfs, and even spiral notebooks, tote bags, zipper pouch, and laptop sleeve. 

If you are interested in buying some of them, please, visit my redbubble page: Red Bird of Paradise.
If you are interested in visiting Raja Ampat islands to enjoy swimming, snorkeling, as well as hiking and watching Red Bird of Paradise, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.