timwootton
Well-known member
There was one Colleen, but the courts put paid to that!!!:-O :-O :-OI would pay for a dvd to see Tim in action too, but there isn't one
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Wings Over Winecountry, Colleen's place (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter colleenc
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Gill Osborne
Well-known member
Thanks for that link Colleen....I'll definitely be treating myself to a dvd or two in a couple of weeks' time after my holidays :t:
colleenc
Well-known member
For the last 4 days I've been working and getting some things ready for a little show this weekend. Finally today I got some time with the birds. I went to Shollenberger park, haven't been since late June. What a surprise, it's almost all dry only 30% is still there and it had been mowed down all around, I thought it might be and evil plot, since there is a big fight to save it from a political ploy to let an asphalt plant be built there, but was told it was a "mistake" by the water board who was told to mow for fire hazard, and some employee did it, whacking off all the native plants just put in by vol who are trying to return it to it's right environmental balance. Not to mention destroying all the nesting habitat.
I walked way down the path and found a group by a outlet from the creek, where they were bathing, and drinking, I saw some new birds and some old friends too, here is a page from my book I drew all these in about 6-7 min, with one interruption from a walker by who said oh what are those white birds? "Snowy egrets said I , a few sentences later he was on a vegetarians rule rant, and if I wasn't one I wasn't part of human kind like him...
Most people who stop and chat don't bother me much, but something got me going, my usual ploy is to start asking questions( the one who asks the questions is the one in control) as soon as they are following my questions, I start leading them in circles, until they don't know where they are or what I said or they said, until the move off to get away from the "crazy lady" Although this worked it took too long, I have to find a better way....maybe an accent, and "sorry I don't speak english well" would do it.
anyway here is the group, they were all hanging out together at the outflow
Snowy egrets, avocet, blacknecked stilt and a coot with a timid touch of wc added. It's not much but it felt good to get back, soon I'll have to start putting in some background but really there's so little left after the mowing...see the photo..
I walked way down the path and found a group by a outlet from the creek, where they were bathing, and drinking, I saw some new birds and some old friends too, here is a page from my book I drew all these in about 6-7 min, with one interruption from a walker by who said oh what are those white birds? "Snowy egrets said I , a few sentences later he was on a vegetarians rule rant, and if I wasn't one I wasn't part of human kind like him...
Most people who stop and chat don't bother me much, but something got me going, my usual ploy is to start asking questions( the one who asks the questions is the one in control) as soon as they are following my questions, I start leading them in circles, until they don't know where they are or what I said or they said, until the move off to get away from the "crazy lady" Although this worked it took too long, I have to find a better way....maybe an accent, and "sorry I don't speak english well" would do it.
anyway here is the group, they were all hanging out together at the outflow
Snowy egrets, avocet, blacknecked stilt and a coot with a timid touch of wc added. It's not much but it felt good to get back, soon I'll have to start putting in some background but really there's so little left after the mowing...see the photo..
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timwootton
Well-known member
Thanks for the dvd review Colleen - most helpful.
These drawings are lovely and fresh; interesting exploration of shapes and nice lines, too. And - that's a collection of species to have the eyes popping!
These drawings are lovely and fresh; interesting exploration of shapes and nice lines, too. And - that's a collection of species to have the eyes popping!
colleenc
Well-known member
is this unusual? , it how things usually are around here, all kinds of things esp at Shollenberger which is now so concentrated, they all seemed to get along pretty well and there were several kinds of sandpiper type and gulls as well as a white pelican solitary. the brown stone lumps are juve mute swans.
timwootton
Well-known member
Not the amalgamation of species, per se - but the species in view (ie Am avocet, b-n stilt etc) - would be birds to set the pulse banging where I live.
Andrew Ellis
Well-known member
Likeing the Sketches Colleen and thankyou for the info for Artist for Nature Foundation.
Very good site
Very good site
jomo
Well-known member
Should've asked him how he lives with himself, knowing that so many cute little furred and feathered creatures scurrying about the fields get mowed down by the harvester just to sate his bloodthirsty vegetarian leanings.
Agreed, great spread here -- send us up a few stilts, would you? Haven't ticked them yet. Snowys either, for that matter. And my avocet total remains a lonely one.
Oh, and congrats on the BIA entry -- my absolute favourite annual exhibit (I have every catalogue I can get my hands on). My goal is to make it in some day, if I ever produce anything I'd dare submit, and if only for the chance to rub elbows with so many of my idols!
Agreed, great spread here -- send us up a few stilts, would you? Haven't ticked them yet. Snowys either, for that matter. And my avocet total remains a lonely one.
Oh, and congrats on the BIA entry -- my absolute favourite annual exhibit (I have every catalogue I can get my hands on). My goal is to make it in some day, if I ever produce anything I'd dare submit, and if only for the chance to rub elbows with so many of my idols!
colleenc
Well-known member
Should've asked him how he lives with himself, knowing that so many cute little furred and feathered creatures scurrying about the fields get mowed down by the harvester just to sate his bloodthirsty vegetarian leanings.
Oh that is just perfect, I will hold that one in my pocket for future use, :t:
re BIA It was beginners luck I think, my first bird and the first time I entered. You're right, the glow of being with the great artists there is just what I look forward to most, esp meeting Busby.
I'll share my fav stilt moment, the first day I went out to observe, this stilt came zooming in and used an avo to slow down before he hit the water, dunking the avo, who merely stood up and kept feeding, when the stilt left it used the avo's back for a springboard to get airborne dunking the avo again...that's the shot you see here. Don't you wonder how it learned to do this? Maybe it will get passed down to the next generation
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colleenc
Well-known member
I've been doing a few things for the Opus topography group, it's really good practice for me...you can see the duck and hawk I did previously there.
Here is the Gull head, this was really hard I did 4 before this one, I just couldn't figure out how to do the watercolor, when I wanted the bird white, everything kept going flat, so finally I got out my pastels and combined it with the watercolor and got something passable, although the beak detail is not perfect I'm sure.
I really liked combining the pastel and watercolor, in some places I put watercolor over the pastel again, in some it's just pastel, the final result has a very subtle quality that does not show in the photo. I will keep this in mind for the future esp with white birds.
Here is the Gull head, this was really hard I did 4 before this one, I just couldn't figure out how to do the watercolor, when I wanted the bird white, everything kept going flat, so finally I got out my pastels and combined it with the watercolor and got something passable, although the beak detail is not perfect I'm sure.
I really liked combining the pastel and watercolor, in some places I put watercolor over the pastel again, in some it's just pastel, the final result has a very subtle quality that does not show in the photo. I will keep this in mind for the future esp with white birds.
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nickderry
C'est pas ma faute, je suis anglais.
interesting photo with the stilt and the avo, I agree that the european avocet does have that certain design element to it that I wouldn't change for the world, but don't the american ones look stunning with their rusty heads! Anyways, the Americas were blessed with Dendroica warblers, so we need to keep the balance somewhere.
The gulls head is looking great, they really are the hardest things to do - the reason I used stencils so much in my last gull pic was I knew that if I went straight in and drew on the paper, I'd wear a hole out of it with all the rubbing out. Great job.
The gulls head is looking great, they really are the hardest things to do - the reason I used stencils so much in my last gull pic was I knew that if I went straight in and drew on the paper, I'd wear a hole out of it with all the rubbing out. Great job.
Andrew Ellis
Well-known member
Great job with the Gulls head Colleen . White birds can be a pain in the **** sometimes.
And I do agree with you on gulls beaks. I always seem to make them too heavy.
Great Avo pic and nice bit of behaviour
And I do agree with you on gulls beaks. I always seem to make them too heavy.
Great Avo pic and nice bit of behaviour
ARTHUR BISHOP
Well-known member
lovely work Colleen
colleenc
Well-known member
thanks all for the comments and encouragement. Right now I need it.
Today I cleaned out my car so I could haul some wood for winter, but instead headed out to Bodega Bay, thinking I had all my sketch stuff in my field vest. I forgot I'd cleaned it out 2 days ago. So I got out there and feasted my eyeballs on a huge group of godwits which for once were on the side of the landspit I could see, and went to the car to get my stuff. The scope, my stool, the bins, the watercolor box, pencil, and improvised sketch book, I had none with me so I had this paperback kids book I was supposed to donate that had been floating in my car for who knows...it had several blank end papers. I opened the box but no brush, none in the vest or in my bag....I guess I washed them all. So all I could find was the end of a weed
(see photo.) I swished it in the puddle of paint and worked out the sketch below. I was trying to save the colors in my mind as the light was very special.
It's a bit discouraging that a bit of weed, made a sketch about as good as I do with a real brush:eek!: I added the bills at home the rest is the weed. size is about 4x5" the sketch not the weed. Still any day with the birds is still a lovely day.
Today I cleaned out my car so I could haul some wood for winter, but instead headed out to Bodega Bay, thinking I had all my sketch stuff in my field vest. I forgot I'd cleaned it out 2 days ago. So I got out there and feasted my eyeballs on a huge group of godwits which for once were on the side of the landspit I could see, and went to the car to get my stuff. The scope, my stool, the bins, the watercolor box, pencil, and improvised sketch book, I had none with me so I had this paperback kids book I was supposed to donate that had been floating in my car for who knows...it had several blank end papers. I opened the box but no brush, none in the vest or in my bag....I guess I washed them all. So all I could find was the end of a weed
(see photo.) I swished it in the puddle of paint and worked out the sketch below. I was trying to save the colors in my mind as the light was very special.
It's a bit discouraging that a bit of weed, made a sketch about as good as I do with a real brush:eek!: I added the bills at home the rest is the weed. size is about 4x5" the sketch not the weed. Still any day with the birds is still a lovely day.
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timwootton
Well-known member
Wonderful piece of improvisation - Ed will be proud of you.
solitaryVSong
Well-known member
A very accomplished sketch! Nothing to be discouraged about there. In a world that seems to have a trend per minute my guess is that you could start a new one here: Extreme FieldSketching. Probably get a reality TV show with it as well! But really it is very impressive and says a lot about your knowledge of birds and of painting.
colleenc
Well-known member
Very funny Ken, extreme field sketching, I suppose my day in 50 MPH winds and blowing sand flat on the ground hanging out over a clift to sketch counts too, next maybe making my own colors from the mud
I have a love hate relationship with the reality shows, hate the exploitation get sometimes hooked on hoping the one l like wins.(I've only watched 2) Havent' really gotten into it cause I don't have TV, but went through a whole season rerun one afternoon with my sister of American Idol, she is an Adam groupie. Also confess, I did watch a few episodes of Groomer Has It, you know, pet groomers, it was tacky but some how compelling
I have a love hate relationship with the reality shows, hate the exploitation get sometimes hooked on hoping the one l like wins.(I've only watched 2) Havent' really gotten into it cause I don't have TV, but went through a whole season rerun one afternoon with my sister of American Idol, she is an Adam groupie. Also confess, I did watch a few episodes of Groomer Has It, you know, pet groomers, it was tacky but some how compelling
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