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Elina's Corner (1 Viewer)

Elina, I think you're doing everything right. The drawings are quite clearly from life and several of them are exceedingly good. In the finished painting, perhaps you have made more of the scapular/greater coverts block than required; this, with the main structure of the wing being almost hidden by the breast feathers perhaps creates an unusual visual impression, but I do think you're getting it! Lovely work again.
 
You've really excelled yourself at these terns, the bouncing flight of them zipping around is wonderfully captured, and there's so much joy in them - just from looking at the sketches I can tell you were smiling at them.

The painting is lovely, I like the way the bird fills its frame in a natural way with gorgeous tones and colours. As you said that you weren't happy with the wing, here's what I think is the problem, there doesn't seem to be the greater coverts, which would account for that strong line that Tim mentioned. Now, remember I wasn't watching these birds (haven't seen any of these delightful birds for 7 years now) so I could be way off the mark. What you've painted could be right, but just looks odd. There was a thread on this somewhere in the art forum a few months back.

Another set of excellent work.

Oh, as for gouache v acrylic, the best is to have a play around. Acrylic dries waterproof and can be painted over without making it dirty (my overworked acrylics are dirty because I'm too lazy to change the water and to wash brushes and palettes), gouache, I find is a lot more 'slippery'. As you can umagine, it's imossible to really describe the properties of paint, as everybody uses paint in their own way and achieves different results. Have a play around and see what suits you.
 
Thanks, Tim & Nick. That's probably it, thoug I'll have yet to go and consult a tern about the matter (to actually see what's going on). Lucky the summer has hardly begun, which means there are plenty of terns for me to look at and figure out the wings.

I went to visit a new place today with a friend. There to greet us was a little tern (could have watched it for hours) and an ospray flew over (first for this year for me). On our way back we stopped at a birdwatching tower. And I fell in love with the whinchat chatting there. Such a cute bird, with wonderful vocal abilities, ended up scetching if for a while. Quite comical to hear such a cutie growl, by the way. At times it was clearly saying: "Ti-dy-di... Grrr." (Though I'm not sure if my friend understood what was so funny when I was scribbling down to my notebook and grinning madly.)

The note on first field sketch (with sedge warbler, whinchat & tern) says: reddish-yellowis-brownish. Notes on second FS (whinchat): Pretty cloud formations, light gray, white. Backlight.

Naturally I couldn't keep my hands away from the brushes when I got home, so I painted the little growlchat. Gouache on cardboard, as usual.

At least I've acchieved something in my fieldwork during the past few weeks: field sketching doesn't feel like a tedious chore anymore, it's getting fun!!! Though the results aren't still most of the time the way I want them, it's fun.

Elina
 

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Phew, just got back from a short holiday I took and now I'm trying to catch up with what everybody else has been up to. Loads to see, as I expected.

What I've been up to: The no. 1 bird of the holiday was most definitely a pair of red-throated divers - never seen one so close and in water (so far they've been just passing dots in the distance during spring migration). The light wasn't that good, but I still got some scetches done.

After the divers I got a fever and ended up spending most of the rest of my holiday inside. Thus, not much scetching done. Instead I ended up trying to draw a gyr falcon (never seen one, but I just couldn't resist the temptation, it's such a magnificent bird). Now that I looked at it with the aid of a friend + some photos at tarsiger.com, I do realize the beak is too small, and the look could and should be more fierce (my friend said: "looks friendly"). Well, next time I'll know a bit better.

I got my copy of More Wildlife Painting - Techniques of Modern Masters, and the book is just wonderful. Oooh how I missed my brushes and paints (which had to stay at home). We'll see, what the next painting project's gonna be.

Oh and thanks for previous comments! I had no idea how to work with that light-shadow contrast (whinchat) and the way I handled the situation was most definitely ideal but it sort of worked. Next time I'll try something different.

Elina
 

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Good to see you back, the redthroats are wonderfully observed and the gyr is a beauty - friendly yes, but why not!? Will you be doing a composition with the redthroats?
 
Must say I've thought about it and actually did a small scetch of the view itself in case I'd want to make a painting of the scene. The trouble is that I'd like to go into a lot more detail with the birds, but as said, I couldn't see that much detail. Thus it would have to be as much about the atmosphere and the surroundings as the birds. I think I'm gonna have to give it some more thought...

Here's a Redstart and a Brambling I forgot to post before.

There's a nice group of Widgeon (even ducklings, or should I say widgins) at a small pond near by, I really should take myself there to spend an hour or two with the Widges and pens and papers.

Elina
 

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I think the sketch sheet of red-throats is stunning - not a line too many and describing the form perfectly. Also - you may have found the golden chalice with the one, single expression;
"The trouble is that I'd like to go into a lot more detail with the birds, but as said, I couldn't see that much detail. Thus it would have to be as much about the atmosphere and the surroundings as the birds"
I am going to copy it out one million times, make it my mantra for each and every waking moment and scratch it onto my wrists with a needle.
All you need do is follow your own advice ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
Oh, and please take another look back at your fieldwork drawings of the divers head-shapes and neck-angles - if you got them right from the living creature, keep them. They're beautiful!
And what Nick said about the rest.
 
timwootton said:
I think the sketch sheet of red-throats is stunning - not a line too many and describing the form perfectly. Also - you may have found the golden chalice with the one, single expression;
"The trouble is that I'd like to go into a lot more detail with the birds, but as said, I couldn't see that much detail. Thus it would have to be as much about the atmosphere and the surroundings as the birds"
I am going to copy it out one million times, make it my mantra for each and every waking moment and scratch it onto my wrists with a needle.
All you need do is follow your own advice ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
Oh, and please take another look back at your fieldwork drawings of the divers head-shapes and neck-angles - if you got them right from the living creature, keep them. They're beautiful!
And what Nick said about the rest.
Click to expand...

Tim is spot on, what wonderful advice you have given yourself...;)

The divers are simply great, a fine, fine set of field sketches that are brimming with observations, you have a great deal of natural talent...
 
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Haha, thanks. I'll try to keep it in mind. The trouble is that I love beautiful scenes but struggle when painting them. Introduce plants and trees to the painting and I'll get confused and terrified. And a real landscape, it's ages since I've last even attempted one. I do have an idea of a painting of Black-throated loons on a blue, misty evening, and I'm gonna get to it ... sooner or later.

(Yeah, I know. I just have to plunge in and see what happens.)

It's funny how a small beak can make one's day. I was having a hard time trying to sketch baby Widgeon - just couldn't get it right. Then I found a teeny shadow beside the beak, smudged it on the paper and realised that I had drawn something that at least looked like a ducklings beak from the front. I kept on going and made a cheeck, another cheek... Things sort of fell into place, oh the joy! Here's the progress sheet.

I had my camera with me too. Here's one picture which is probably gonna inspire a painting, I like the green shadowy feel of the water. Take a few steps back, some branches and leaves, some "widglings" to accompany the mom, go scetch mom so as not have to draw everything from a photo...

Elina
 

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Great sheet of WIDGLINGS! (What a great word;))

You can see your progress on this sheet as you became more familiar with what you were drawing, the bottom left corner bird is a little gem....
 
you've cracked it, keep looking, keep scribbling and you'll find out which lines to draw - as you've done here very successfully. Widglings is now my mot du jour, don't know how I'm going to manage to use it though!
 
Or maybe they're Widgets?

Some sketches from yesterday: the sedge warbler shall/should become a painting, the tufts of the reeds are delicious deep purple/plum color at the moment. That combined with blue sky, green leaves and a sedge tossed among is such a delightful color scheme...I have no idea if I can get it right. But I'm gonna give it a try. At some point.

The willow warblers - their behaviour was funny. They were opening their beaks and spreading their wings to one another. Very charming to watch them "dance". I asked a friend about the behaviour and since it's not mating time, and no need to fight for territories at this time of the year, he concluded they were two youngsters who accidently tried to beg food from one another.

Among the scetches is as well a starling and a redshank (who thought he owned the birdwatching tower and that I should get back where I was coming from).

Today I finally got rid of a project that has been dominating my life for over half a year (translating a book). To celebrate that I decided to treat myself with some time to paint. Willowies seemed like a natural choice. It's still a work very much in progress. I had planned on a different color scheme (purple and yellow and brown), and am still searching for the right balance (now it's green and yellow and brown).

Elina
 

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Superb composition, I'm very much looking forward to seeing how this one comes along - and the sedge warbler sounds like it'll be fabulous.

Translating a whole book!!! - I don't envy you at all!
 
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