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Starting from scratch- Dryslwyn's first sketchbook. (1 Viewer)

dryslwyn

Well-known member
Well almost from scratch.

This forum is really giving me some incentive to do what I've wanted to do for ages- draw and paint birds. I thought as a beginner I'd take folks advice and look at one bird at a time mainly and do as much as I can in the field. Started with the swans on the joint thread and was pretty happy with the head but fretting over the wings .

Hoping for constructive criticism and please feel free to post anything including your own work to help :t:
 
Well, this forum has helped me a lot, including providing incentive to get off my arse and actually do stuff, so I can vouch for it's encouragement. Looking forward to seeing more of your work.

I hope this makes sence, because I have been at th beer, rum and pims. Celebrating my escape from B&Q. B :)
 
Well I finally got off my arse today! Went to a trout fishery and since the other half was totally preoccupied I had hours to study sketch and photo mallard and coot. It seems such a pity that this is all I have come up with to post -its the best of a paticularly bad lot. BUT believe it or not I did learn masses about mallard. For one thing their eyes are particularly high in their head |:S| Cheers VecB :)
 

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These are good. Seriously. That's one of the things I've learned, drawing really helps you see things, Things you'd not otherwise notice. I'm learning a lot sketching.
 
These are good. Seriously. That's one of the things I've learned, drawing really helps you see things, Things you'd not otherwise notice. I'm learning a lot sketching.

You are so kind ;) Going to do some drawing from the photos (and the sketches and whats in my head).
 
these are great as exercises to see things that you hadn't noticed before, sometimes a few simplelines can say the most about the subject.
 
You're doing great drysl, well observed and very perceptive thinking. I've been watching birds for ten years now and you're already ahead of me in the fieldsketching stakes
 
a good start drysl, keep things real simple to start. your doing great.
concentrate on basic shape and form and speed for getting
esential shapes in quick. Details later. And don't stop drawing from
your photo's either that will give you chance to refine
your technique. It also helps with the details . The main thing is
your getting out there doing it. Looking forward to
to seeing the next lot.
 
Three sketches from the photos. Had trouble with the last one- found getting the form hard. Did them pretty quick though- its true what they say about drawing every day, it does pay off. Notice I've avoided the wing feathers but I have finally figured out how they fold so that should make things a bit easier I hope.
This is the only time I wouldn't mind the cat bringing a kill in but he is not cooperating :cat:
 

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Actually I,d quite like the duck myself !

I like to paint in a loose sort of impressionistic way but feel it is important to understand whats going on before you can do that - hence a scan from my 'best book'.
 

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Field sketches truely horrible today so haven't posted but promise I did some. Jottings of the mistle thrush from the camera and watercolour sketch of the swans from sketch book and photo.
I think I'd like to try this in oils - never work in them so it should be more than interesting.
 

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Wow Wendy, those swans are wonderful. You really capture the form and shapes of the birds and their environment above all and you have brought it all together so well!

Can't wait to see more!
 
Hey Thought I'd better get something done myself with all this smashing work being posted. I enjoyed painting this watercolour today from a photo I took the other day when I was drawing mallards. I did do some jottings of coots too. I just love the angles and poses they get into. Talking of painting what you see - my husbands comment was ' I thought coots were black'
But they weren't because they were in the light o:D
 

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That's superb, Wendy! I love the light you portray in the picture and the way it lights up the Moorhens' plumage.
As for Coots being black - that's the beauty of sketching, you have to look at your subject and therefore you get to notice things that most people don't.
 
Hey Thought I'd better get something done myself with all this smashing work being posted. I enjoyed painting this watercolour today from a photo I took the other day when I was drawing mallards. I did do some jottings of coots too. I just love the angles and poses they get into. Talking of painting what you see - my husbands comment was ' I thought coots were black'
But they weren't because they were in the light o:D

And they weren't coots -must be the 'Leffe' !
 
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