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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Matt's watercolors (1 Viewer)

mattybohan said:
I think part of the problem with the Dragonfly/Damselflies is that to really identify many of them you have to catch them and have a loupe to check for varies tiny features. On top of that is the sheer volume of the individual species. I think that is why the books tend to split off the dragons from the damsels.

That being said, the small Stokes guide is actually quite good and not overly pricey. The photos are on the small side, but at the same time they make it simple to ID them to species in some cases, and groups in others, which is really all you typically want... unless you are the guy with the a huge butterfly net, lightning fast reflexes and loupe at the ready. I think the folks most interested in that are bringing them home dead in a jar to ID, which would kind of kill the magic of the moment. It would make them considerably easier to draw though! The birds make life much easier for us as far as identification... and they seem to have a better public relations team.
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Thanks for your thoughts on this Matty. I got started in the indecipherable world of shorebirds with the Stokes Guide. So I have nothing against them. I just had to buy another guide a year or two later. It will go on my Christmas list!

As an old hand at the 'killing jar' back from when I used to draw insects I caught under a dissecting microscope I'm familiar with the difficulties of ID. As I recall from those 15-20 years ago I think you needed to study the venation of many wasps in order to ID them. I did hate the thought though that I had to kill the insects in order to ID and draw them. Happy to be sticking with live subjects now, though they're far less cooperative.
 
Great job Matthew. The Canada Warbler is a very impressive composition all around. You have a breathtaking command of the media. How are you able to achieve such intense opacity with the watercolors? Is this a result of the Lana paper?
 
Ken, I saw the insects on your website... those are great! Learning shorebirds with the Stokes guide would be an exercise in frustration. Like birds, drawing insects is tough at times. Some dragonflies are pretty good about returning to the same perches, so they are pretty predictable. I rely of field observation, photos and an insect collection that I inherited for reference. I have a few microscopes that I use for work, but I seldom use them for the dragons.

You are right about the wing venation as far as IDs. Since I'm not strictly illustrating the species I don't always aim to get every vein correct. Instead I worry about the major veins and suggest the rest. Depending on the angle of view may of the veins are obscured anyhow. If doing a book you'd probably need to show a standardized top view with all the veins visible. That wouldn't be as much fun as mixing the poses up.

Regarding the watercolor paper... Lana paper is pretty decent. They discontinued my preferred paper Windsor & Newton 140 LB Not Cold Pressed in blocks. The lana paper has a slightly softer surface and is more delicate, but is pretty good. Arches is OK as well, but doesn't absorb the pigment as readily. On the other hand it is good for detail. I started using Lana paper when a friend gave me a huge roll of it years ago. I will have used all of it up in a week or two and will probably switch back to the Arches.

The exact paper isn't critical to the technique. I do need a hot press or smooth NCP paper that will absorb a wash well, yet hold up to a lot of glazing. Cold pressed papers are just way to bumpy for the way I work. They do take a wash beautifully though!

Blog.bohanart.com has a bunch of step-by-step WIPs where you can see paintings getting created. That will give much better insight about how I work than I can describe here.
 
mattybohan said:
You are right about the wing venation as far as IDs. Since I'm not strictly illustrating the species I don't always aim to get every vein correct. Instead I worry about the major veins and suggest the rest. Depending on the angle of view may of the veins are obscured anyhow.
Click to expand...

I believe this is the first time I've actually discussed the topic of wing venation with anyone! When I did my insect drawings I was operating in complete isolation outside of my field guides. Every once in awhile when I look at your dragonfly paintings I think about trying insects and/or dragonflies again. But I don't want to go back to catching them and putting them under microscope to draw. I eventually think better of it. I'll settle for enjoying yours.;)
 
The dragonflies have been a fun change from the birds for a while. I found that Frogs and toads paintings were selling really well for a while. Out-selling my bird paintings in fact. Maybe you saturate your local market? Anyhow, I thought the dragonflies would be fun to paint and might sell well.
Plus being busy with regular work and the kids leaves me less time to paint, so having something that works well in a tiny 5x7 format is a big bonus.
 
Thanks ARthur!
Catherine, I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't seen that book... the last I looked was about 7 years ago when a zoologist at the U of Michigan suggested the guides I should buy. Thanks for pointing it out. Its about time to check out some new reference!
 
Not much time to paint lately, but getting a little sketching in here and there.
Here is a tufted titmouse... we had 4 of these guys fledge in the backyard this summer. They were hanging around the feeders and feeders all summer. Great fun. This guy was hanging from a peanut feeder right outside the kitchen window. I made the feeder out of a log, which I bored out with a large bit on my drill press.
 

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a pair of sketches, an eastern pondhawk, and our geriatric pet lovebird "Sluggo"
 

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