Read all about our last moments in the dry tropical forest of Pench on our search for the elusive and endangered Bengal Tiger. We see many superb birds, wild boar, wild Gaur and yes even a tiger!

Local women in India working and preparing the clay ready to be cast or thrown into pots. Today we went on a fantastic trip to a village about 30 minutes away which relies completely on making pottery for a living. The story behind the village and the pots is fascinating. The village is surrounded by paddy fields - these are fields that grow rice. The fields are flooded with water for the rice plants to grow. This works perfectly here because they have what is called the mons

We joined forest rangers on foot patrol through a vital wildlife corridor, learning how animal scat reveals species, diet and movements. Fresh leopard and tiger signs showed just how close wildlife was, with a tiger passing minutes after we left. The patrol highlighted how closely villages border the forest and the risks this creates. The day ended with rare permission to paint at a beautiful forest lake, surrounded by birds, butterflies and jungle stillness.

Read the latest update from the Last Chance to Paint team live from India and their unexpected encounter with a Jungle elephant!

Today we visited our second Gond school. This time the school was exclusively for Gond tribal children and we held a colourful workshop with the children so they could paint their homes, forest and things that are important to them. Read the blog now for lots of amazing information and a link to the Day 4 video of the two art workshops that contains lots to inspire your class of children.

Read all about the Last Chance To Paint team’s exciting day on safari spotting Sambar Deer and a Leopard! It’s a must read blog and a must see video too.

Safari time as we look at the wildlife to be found in the dry tropical forests of central India. Lots of birds and animals came out at dawn as we explored Pench. Join us in Pench and also for a special painting experience from deep in the forest where we had special permission to paint out of a vehicle, but had to leave promptly as the Tigers come out for tea!

We have arrived in India! What a busy couple of days we have had in ‘The Land of the Tiger’ and we have learnt so much with the Satpuda Foundation and can’t wait to share it all with you, your school and your children.

So it’s time for artist John Dyer and myself, Joanne Short, to prepare and get ready for our trip to the Pench Forest in India, where we will be looking at tigers, the environment they live in, and at the people who live in and around the forest where the tigers live.

This January, your class is invited to take part in a live expedition to central India, following artist John Dyer as he works in the forests and villages of Pench, the landscape that inspired The Jungle Book.