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From Woody's 2007 sketchbook (1 Viewer)

Woody

Well-known member
Hi folks, a new year and a new sketchbook (well, two actually).

I wasn't busy at work on Friday so I took a longer lunch and headed for St. James' Park By Buckingham Palace. The lake and its banks always have a bucketload of Black-headed gulls and they're not shy.

Woody
 

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It's pretty cold here in London today which keeps most of the tourists out of the parks so I took advantage and cheered myself up with a trip to Hyde Park.

The wind wasn't as strong as it has been over the last couple of days but it still made the temperature feel even more 'bracing' so my sketches had to be quickies before my fingers lost all feeling.

As I made my way to the lake I was treated to the sight of a great spotted woodpecker flying overhead and into the top of one of the park's bare winter trees. They have a knack of always working their way to the opposite side of the trunk or branch don't they?! A couple of magpies were working through the leaves and litter and one of them flew off with what looked like a chicken bone and was immediately hassled by a crow. There's no honour amongst thieves! A robin disappeared into a hedge in front of me and two blackbirds raced each other to worms.

The canada geese were mostly close in on the walkway when I got to the lake so they became my models for a while. I couldn't resist another Black headed gull though.

Woody
 

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I love your loose style in your sketches Woody. It's like the opposite of my tight (some might say 'anal' level of detail!) drawings! Ironically I'm not great at sketching - it's something I am trying to do a bit more of because I love the freedom and look of sketches. It's a question of practice I suppose!
 
A fine way to open a 'new chapter' in the sketchbook sagas, Woody. Really nice group of drawings. I always find it fascinating to see the progression (in my drawings and those of others) as familiarity with the bird increases. I mean - even the common species require close and regular observation to get them 'right' and the b-h gulls shows your confidence in, and knowledge of, the species - great stuff!
 
Great work. Looking forward to seeing a lot more in the coming year. Black heads are full of character, a bird that I always found hard to get right, the eye position always got me!
Like the magpie thumbnails a lot, often overlooked, but they make great subjects!
Keep it up!
 
Cheers guys.

I still dont think I've managed to capture BHGs. Someting not quite there but I guess we make these sketches to learn. Eventually I'm hoping it'll 'click and I can start on a finished work I've had in mind for a while now

I like the graphic pattern of maggies' plumage and sketches simplify it in a way that is beginning to intrigue me.

Woody
 
What a fantastic skill you have Woody! The 'feeling' of your subject is so well expressed. Well done, keep it up.
 
Sketching pigeons in the park

The snow has virtually dissapeared in London and left in its place are dirty grey ice piles and a cold wind bringing sleet and freezing rain. I headed for Hyde park and found that even the pigeons were feeling the cold. There was a large group of them by the Serpentine, huddled together and moving very little. I actually felt quite sorry for them...

Woody
 

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Very nice to hear somebody spending time to sketch their local pigeons!

..other than stuffing them full of last weeks mouldy hovis.

Thanks for sharing..

Matt
 
This is a lovely, sensitive piece of work, Woody - excellent. I can't believe the snow's gone so quickly - but keep the image fresh for the barn owls.
 
Elmley 12 02 07

When I gazed out of the window first thing (6.00ish) on Sunday I almost stayed in. The rain was coming down hard and it was being blown against the windows too. I'm glad I decided to go out though as by around 8.00ish the rain had stopped and we even saw some sunshine. I stopped by a large group of lapwing and got the scope on them, in the low sun they were lit dramatically from the side so I couldn't resist yet another lapwing sketch.

Lurking inconspicuosly behind the lapwing were a couple of common snipe. I know they are common but they are not always easy to spot so I'm always glad to see them. Unfortunately these two were snuggled down against the wind and were mostly hidden behind grass and lapwings but I still managed a couple of quick sketches.

The peace and quiet was shattered when the whole roost took flight all at once as a marsh harrier passed close-by and the snipe melted into the long grass.

The stonechats were flitting about closer to the car park and the skylarks seem to have decided that spring is here and were making the song flights that I associate with summer. What a glorious noise! A corn bunting put in a brief appearance in one of the two bushes by the road and I watched a marsh harrier hunting over one of the ditches for a while. On the way out I stopped to sketch the shelduck having a lie in as another heavy shower passed over.

Finally on the way home a weasel ran across the road and quickly dissapeared into the verge and 'my' little owl was enjoying the sun, perched in his stump again.

Woody
 

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Oh superb Woody - the harrier flight studies are simply sublime - I really envy these drawings. I love the snipe and lappy drawing particularly - this can surely for the basis of a more 'involved' piece. Excellent!
The written account supports the artwork wonderfully, too - you manage to transport the reader to the scene with well chosen prose - very, very good, and thanks - I enjoyed the trip out.
 
timwootton said:
Oh superb Woody - the harrier flight studies are simply sublime - I really envy these drawings. I love the snipe and lappy drawing particularly - this can surely for the basis of a more 'involved' piece. Excellent!
The written account supports the artwork wonderfully, too - you manage to transport the reader to the scene with well chosen prose - very, very good, and thanks - I enjoyed the trip out.
Steady now! Thanks for the boost Tim. I like to try flight sketches and every now and then they come out OK. It did help that the harrier was hovering and circling around the same area over and over. I must admit that I was chuffed with the one in the bottom right of the second scan, showing the bird using her tail to steer. It just seemed to catch something that I like.

Woody
 
I really like the way you present these sketches,especialy how you've left some parts of the bird left as a rough outline and saved the detail for the head.

If it weren't for having to look after a neightbours poorly dog I'd probably be watching marsh harriers myself as we speak!

Matt
 
nice work Woody ,I like the in flight .youve got to take a snap shot in your mind and get it down , very hard to do but wonderfully done, arthur
 
Not lapwings this time!

Great to see the sunshine on saturday morning after two days shut indoors painting. Not 'painting' painting, but interior decorating painting; the hall, stairs and landing. That's eight doors to gloss, skirting boards and doorframes then emulsion the ceilings, coving and walls-with two coats. What joy!

Saturday morning dawned cold but promising so I set off for Oare in search of barn owls... no luck. So after watching the sun rise I jumped back in the car and made my way to Elmley. As I approached the island a thick fog descended and I began to give up hope of any birds at all. Once through the farm with its attendent starlings I parked up in my favourite spot and settled down to hope the fog would lift. Luckily it did and the birds became visible. Amongst the usual lapwings, starlings and BHGs there were four or five common gulls preening and enjoying the early sun, it never ceases to amaze me that a bird in such muddy habitats can stay so clean and white.

A guy coming onto the reserve stopped by my car and told me that a female merlin was perched fairly close to the road by the farm so I raced off to catch up with her. (If that was you, thanks again, it's great that people are prepared to offer info like that). There was no sign of the bird where the guy had indicated but I thought if she was about then I'd go look for her elsewhere. I found her sitting on a distant, but prominent, post preening her feathers. I managed a page of sketches despite the heat haze and distance. It's always a thrill for me to see merlins and ten minutes or so watching this lady at her toilette really made my day.

Woody
 

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...more lapwings...

Sunday morning the weather was overcast and grey when Andy picked me up for our usual morning outing. There was no sign of the kingfisher on his usual fishing posts. We've not seen him for three or four weeks now. The dyke where he fishes has a much higher water level now though after all the recent rain. I wonder if this makes a difference as there are still plenty of small fry making little ripples on the surface. Onto Elmley with the hope of connecting with the merlin again but it was not to be, so the good old lapwings came to the rescue again. There were good numbers resting and preening so I fond my target and began to sketch, I'd only planned on the one bird but she looked so much at ease with her companion that I found myself including her despite the gap between the pages in my sketchbook! I guess a lapwing painting is in order soon...

Woody
 

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