Downloads
Art Created for Mbona
Hi Mbona Neighbours!
If you’re on this page, you’ve followed a link to download artwork I’ve created for Mbona… including the illustrated map, wildlife illustrations, newsletters, and activity pages.
All of this work is shared freely, but it isn’t created without cost.
Like many artists, I’ve willingly donated a great deal of time to projects I care about. The Mbona illustrated map alone took years to complete, and the newsletters, illustrations, and supporting material each take many hours of focused work. This isn’t a whinge, I promise. After all, … I volunteered (and then got very pedantic about detail). No one twisted my arm and said: “You must do all of this for free!”.
That said, I have to be honest with you guys: I simply can’t continue producing this level of work indefinitely on an unpaid basis.
And yet, I don’t want cost to be a barrier to anyone enjoying or using these pieces, so there’s no fixed price for downloads. Instead, if you have the means and would like to support my work, you’re very welcome to tip the artist. Any contribution (large or small) supports our family of four and helps make future projects (including newsletters, gate hand-outs, etc) possible.
Banking Details: Heather Costaras / FNB / #6250 101 8700
Thanks for being here and for supporting my work in whatever way feels right.
Hx
Mbona Illustrated Map
This detailed, illustrated map of Mbona was a labour of love and took me a couple of years to fully complete.
Apart from showing where all the shares and lakes are situated, it also shows the hiking trails and places of interest that some shareholders may not know about.
I’ve supplied it as a high-resolution A0-size PDF. It can be printed at A0, A1 or A2 (I don’t recommend printing smaller than A2, as fine details and text will become difficult to read).
For best results and long-lasting colour, I recommend using a specialised fine-art printer with good-quality paper and archival inks.
If you’d like advice on printing or framing, or have any questions, my contact details are listed in the Mbona newsletter. (I’ve intentionally not included them here to avoid web-scraping spam.)
Red-Chested Cuckoo
This is my “gate-clanger nemesis” — the red-chested cuckoo I joked about in the opening blurb of the February 2026 newsletter.
I drew him on my iPad Pro using an Apple Pencil and an app called Procreate (which I love and use constantly).
I make a lot of different kinds of art, but when I want an illustration to be detailed and realistic, I work from a reference photo. In this case, the original photo was kindly supplied by Adam Riley (of course!! – who else?!).
Back in the pre-iPad days, I would have had to draw this bird entirely by eye to get the scale and proportions right… slowly, painstakingly, and with a lot of muttering. These days, I can create a temporary layer on my iPad and do a quick tracing over the photo. I then delete the photo completely and get to the fun part: inking, cross-hatching, and colouring. If you zoom in really close, you’ll see all the tiny individual strokes that make up the final piece (15,062 of them, to be precise).
This download is supplied as a high-resolution PDF (A4 size), but it can easily be enlarged to A3.
I’m toying with the idea of creating a whole range of Mbona birds in this style (might work nicely as a small collection).
Creatures of Mbona
I created this illustration of some of Mbona’s Creatures a number of years ago.I offered it as a “holiday activity” download in the December 2025 newsletter.
You’re welcome to download it and use it for all sorts of random things: something to colour in… something to wrap small prezzies in… or just a fun activity for the kidlets (ask them how many creatures they can spot… bonus points if they can name them too!
This illustration is supplied as a high-res A4 PDF. Feel free to download and print!