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From the sketchbook... (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter buzzard12
- Start date
ARTHUR BISHOP
Well-known member
Brilliant sketching Alan
RussB
Going for Gold
Cor! What a super spread! I'll echo what Phil says: These are right up my street, too. Superb raptor studies; some really skillfully-caught angles here. The gulls (you can never have too many gulls!) are very well done, too. Although side-on, they've been very accurately portrayed, with the head, bill, coverts etc all in the right proportion.
Passerines, as ever, are fantastic. I love these Redpoll, the whole character of the bird shines through and they would make excellent illustrations in their own right.
Russ
Passerines, as ever, are fantastic. I love these Redpoll, the whole character of the bird shines through and they would make excellent illustrations in their own right.
Russ
Woody
Well-known member
Well, I asked and you didn't let me down! Brilliance delivered in spades. Others have already remarked on the ravens and I'll add a cheer for them too, but it's tough to pick a favourite from such a collection.
Inspiring stuff.
Mike
buzzard12
Well-known member
From the depdths of the third page! Weather here has been frezing and not a lot of sketching done, though a recent trip in a car changed that...
Female Smew a highlight, sketches here along with an Argentatus Herring Gull that went wrong somewhere around the undercarriage...
Female Smew a highlight, sketches here along with an Argentatus Herring Gull that went wrong somewhere around the undercarriage...
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Strandman
Well-known member
how nice to hear from you- supadoopa to see a "long" bodied smew: they seem to almost always be illustrated "short", low in the water with all that taily bit out of sight
timwootton
Well-known member
Agree with the above gentlemen - there seems to be painting potential in ALL of them. This grey heron series is like looking at a few frames of hand-drawn animation; subtle yet characteristic changes in posture and angle create an underlying vibrancy. Surely this chap's name is Sylas - he looks just like one.
buzzard12
Well-known member
Have four days off next week, the brushes will be out, fancy a stab at a few herons together, with perhaps a singleton as a warmer upper before I do a larger piece. Smew will get the treatment too, charming little sawbill that I really want to try do justice to, long tail out and all Ed
With regard to sketch no. 2 agreee it has potential, the gull needs a scaling down and perhaps moving to the rear...
With regard to sketch no. 2 agreee it has potential, the gull needs a scaling down and perhaps moving to the rear...
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nickderry
C'est pas ma faute, je suis anglais.
good to have you back - and what a superb series of herons, as Tim says, just like seeing frames of animation. The smew is smewtiful, they're really quirky birds and a firm favourite of mine, it's been too long since I saw one. Can't wait to see what gems these get worked into.
RussB
Going for Gold
I'll echo what the other guys say - jolly good to see you back, Alan. Here's a man who llkes his gulls as much as his fowl.
Another excellent series of sketches. I particularly like the smew studies, especially the first one with its tail feathers flicked up - very well caught. Herring gull might be a bit 'off' round the undercarriage but the facial expresion and head shape (for me the hardest things to capture in the big gulls) are cock-on. Very well done sketches of the face-on herons; another very difficult pose to get right. The blue tint to your sketches certainly adds to that winter feeling - is this on purpose?! I though I'd done well braving the cold!
Russ
Another excellent series of sketches. I particularly like the smew studies, especially the first one with its tail feathers flicked up - very well caught. Herring gull might be a bit 'off' round the undercarriage but the facial expresion and head shape (for me the hardest things to capture in the big gulls) are cock-on. Very well done sketches of the face-on herons; another very difficult pose to get right. The blue tint to your sketches certainly adds to that winter feeling - is this on purpose?! I though I'd done well braving the cold!
Russ
solitaryVSong
Well-known member
All a pleasure to see Alan. I particularly like the smew and gulls.
Nature__lover
Well-known member
wow.. 'fieldsketching' is something I have always wanted to do but I can't! I love 'sketches from life' as they have a great sense of movement, and yours have great likeness to the bird you are drawing.
I Especially love all your goldcrest sketches.
I Especially love all your goldcrest sketches.
ARTHUR BISHOP
Well-known member
Brilliant sketching Alan we've missed having them
buzzard12
Well-known member
Scans here of sketches from yesterday. Coal Tit and a snakelike Nuthatch from a bird feeding station in Tyresö, the local Dippers at the falls in Nyfors where 6 birds are present, and a Black Pecker which showed well for ten minutes on a pine trunk. 2nd calender Greater Black Backed Gull was the best of the gulls at Skeppsbron in the afternoon...
The scanner seems to blow out the sketches a little, no light to use the camera today...
The scanner seems to blow out the sketches a little, no light to use the camera today...
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buzzard12
Well-known member
After a blizzard last night my plans for a long excursion were cut short, the transport system here crippled after almost a metre of snow overnight. Delighted to see a small flock of Mealy Redpoll feeding in the back garden and sketched them through the window of the utility room, getting some strange looks in the process from the resident tabby, who it seems owns this space and was perhaps even more interested in the birds under the feeders than I was.
