Recent sketches (1 Viewer)

RussB · Jun 25, 2011

Cheers, guys.

A handful of sketches from the recent Wildwings China trip.These are the only ones I could manage in a very busy schedule. Knackered male Dusky Thrush, Chinese Grosbeak, Brown Hawk Owl and a couple sketching ticks - Falcated Duck and male dozing male Garganey.

RussB · Jun 25, 2011

Getting my feet wet!

Fancy a laugh? For your amusement here's my first serious attempts at doing some b and w's with paint and brush.
These might resemble the daubings of an uninterested 10 year old but are purely practice pieces. Shelduck and Ringed Plover, Blue Rock Thrush, Canada G and Oriental Reed Warbler.
For starters, before I venture further into the world of paint, water and brush, can I ask how you achieve a gradual change from dark to light tones. Is this best done by applying a number of washes, which I've tried with a bit of success, or do you lift out the paint, which I've tried and made an 'orrible blotchy mess! I want to paint gulls, as you can imagine, so any tips on how I can get those ever so subtle changes in tone on a Lesser-black back's mantle would be most appreciated!

Anyway at least I'm sticking a brush in something wet!

Second question, do you think anyone will want to adorn their wall with any of these fine pieces ?

Thanks in advance for your words of wisdom.

Russ

solitaryVSong · Jun 26, 2011

RussB said:
Second question, do you think anyone will want to adorn their wall with any of these fine pieces ?

Thanks in advance for your words of wisdom.

Russ

The second question I think is the one we all wonder about, would anyone want to adorn their wall with any of our work? I often think it's just a matter of the right person happening upon your work.

In more mundane matters I really like the next to last (Falcated?) duck. There's animation in the lines, a variety of tones, and a sureness of touch. Just a nice lively sketch.

And the first paint attempts I think are quite successful. You've managed to get a good sense of volume in all of them, something I think is not that easy to accomplish when anyone first tries paint. Keep at it. I see great promise here, as I think many of us anticipated we would once you decided to pick up a brush!

Woody · Jun 27, 2011

Glad to see you venturing closer and closer to the full colour work Russ.

For subtle gradations you could try laying down a wash of pure water before adding pigment to where you want the darkest part of the wash to be and slowly dragging that out into the water soaked area. As the pigment picks up more of the water from the surface it shoul naturally get thinner and lighter. Mind you, it's been an age since I felt confident with watercolour so perhaps you'd better waut 'til someone better qualified comes along with proper advice!

If there's one thing that's certain about people wanting to adorn their walls with any art, it's that nothing is certain! It's impossible to predict but the best anyone can do is to put it out there and hope that the future owner of it actually sees it!

Mike

Drellas · Jun 27, 2011

Hey Russ,

for me painting with watercolours (coloured or not) is one of the most difficult technics I know. So, I can understand you very well. I started with acrylics years ago and felt confident quite fast, but it took me years to get a halfway satisfying piece. Thus, keep cool O

What kind of paper do you use?

If you use much water you could get ugly water splashes. If you use less water, the colour gets more intensive.

What do you think about doing both? Draw and then add colours?

Go, go, go!

Ulrike O

timwootton · Jun 29, 2011

Excellent first steps into brush work, Russ - the Canada goose and warbler are both very fine pieces. Keep it up.

RussB · Jul 2, 2011

Cheers,
Northern wheatear ('northern' makes me sound like an ornithologist!) sketches on my patch from, ahem, several weeks ago. I think there was a fancy wedding around the time. A very workman-like selection after I've jsut looked at Jomo's latest posts. At least these sit around just long enough to get some line down.

RussB · Jul 2, 2011

And from the challenging to the ridiculously difficult....

Trying to nail these when they're on the move is nigh impossible and I'll politely take to task anyone who says they're not - providing they show me the evidence, ah, ah. A couple come close but I've gone backwards since.
Seems the last bird's seen enough and offered it's opinion!

Cheers

Russ

JTMB · Jul 3, 2011

Catching up on your thread, Russ - and there's a lot to catch up on! Good to see you got some sketching in, even if only a little, on the far east trip. I agree with others - your first brush pieces are fine, especially for first attempts. Smooth gradations with washes are tough for every water media artist in the universe...having only been painting for about 3 1/2 years, I don't think I'm qualified to offer much in the way of advice.

ARTHUR BISHOP · Jul 3, 2011

What a great set of sketching Russ.
It dosn't have to be a no.4 . it works with most sizes.

phil baber · Jul 6, 2011

Loving your sketches Russ!

nickderry · Jul 6, 2011

this thread keeps moving - you just get better and better now, and exploring new ideas too! Fantastic!

colleenc · Jul 6, 2011

super avos like dancers:t:

RussB · Jul 9, 2011

Cheers, all.

Ringed plover and common tern sketches. When RP's oblige what super subjects they are - face patterns like a jigsaw! When they're running around, though - pffff!
Preening, resting and snoozing terns. Sleeper's a Lars special! I can see the appeal of sleeping subjects but his side-on sleepers just have something extra, not merely a one dimensional piece. Despite constant attempts, and advice from TW to keep things smaller, I still almost fill the page up - I find it impossible not to a lot of the time. Flight sketches are something of a novelty to me - it seems they CAN be done and these were with three or four second blitzes with the pencil - some fly and others would quickly crash land. Don't know how you get more than hint of plumage though - shapes the only thing I can focus on.

RussB · Jul 9, 2011

A few more...

RussB · Jul 9, 2011

Continiung to get my feet wet....
Different watered down tones of lamp black - waxwing, mistle thrush - no not some SE Asian species! - grey heron, Rb merganser and reed bunt. Rb was done using artists quality ivory black, and I clearly appreciated the difference between this and the cheapo Cotman paint.
set myself a target of doing 4 or 5 of these a week. Obviously I need to learn how to make coverts look like coverts and paint barring, vermiculations etc etc. Again, any ideas how you get that expert light to dark gradation? Daft question I suppose, as I know the answer.

I rate these as ok, ok, ok, crap, ok.

Any advice much appreciated.

Ta

Ps - Nick, are there any band w's on your website anywhere for my perusal, please?

nickderry · Jul 9, 2011

excellent work on the terns - you've certainly explored their shapes to the maximum. On the wet stuff - I like them all - I disagree that the mistle is crap - very nicely done with simple lines and tone.

I have no idea what a 'band w' is - or I'm being particularly thick today! My head is occupied with printing inks again!

RussB · Jul 9, 2011

Sorry, I meant black and whites, Nick. I must learn to type!

Cheers

Russ

ARTHUR BISHOP · Jul 9, 2011

Some lovely work here Russ

solitaryVSong · Jul 9, 2011

Love the terns in flight Russ as well as that first plover. The sketches just keep getting better and better. I'm particularly taken with the last painting. There's a freedom of marks in it that I think has been missing, not surprisingly, in your first attempts. It looks to me like you're starting to get more comfortable with the medium. I predct great things as you continue to explore.

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