timwootton
Well-known member
Lokks fabulous Mike - you've really got the atmosphere off to a tee. excellent work - one of your very best.
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Mike's conservatory (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Woody
- Start date
kittykat23uk
Well-known member
Aww he's Lovely!
nickderry
C'est pas ma faute, je suis anglais.
tweaking, tweaking, always tweaking! Mind you, you know what you're doing, it's when I tweak that things go wrong, sort of "if it's not broken, let's take it apart and see why not". Tweak away, this one is I believe going to be my favourite of yours.
Woody
Well-known member
He! He! When I tweak I do it with little brushes, your tweaks tend to be a little more industrial strength and can turn a wren into a falcon if you're not careful!
Actually I admire your bravery with paintings, if you're not happy you dive in and bash a picture about 'til it gets into the shape you wanted it to be in the first place. Or, failing that, you start over!
Mike
Woody
Well-known member
Sunday was, as predicted, cold, wet, grey, windy. It seems the reserve is preparing for spring though, the cattle have been moved and the fields are being flooded. Water is pumping from the dykes onto the grass via huge, bright blue tubes. The extra standing water has brought in the curlews and lapwings together with wigeon and teal in large numbers. No sign of the merlin (spotted her briefly on Saturday) but plenty of signs that the peregrine was about, flocks of lapwing and wigeon regularly exploding into the air and swirling about making fantastic liquid shapes in the sky before settling back among the tussocky grass. Marsh harriers are regular on Elmley but they seemed to be taking advantage of the wader and wildfowl flocks on Sunday, six seen at the same time bothering the flocks with low level passes, no doubt looking for opportunities to lessen the numbers. Bird of the day though, without doubt, was an adult female hen harrier. She was hidden fairly close to the road and we put her up inadvertantly. She briefly quartered over the mud giving lovely clear views until, with a tilt of her wings, she caught the wind and rocketed off.
I was too excited to get any sketches done and the light prevented any reasonable photos of the hen harrier so here are some of the lapwings, keeping their heads down in the grass, out of the wind instead. Of course the lapwings had starlings for company!
Mike
I was too excited to get any sketches done and the light prevented any reasonable photos of the hen harrier so here are some of the lapwings, keeping their heads down in the grass, out of the wind instead. Of course the lapwings had starlings for company!
Mike
Attachments
timwootton
Well-known member
Another fine account Mike with super drawings, too. The bottom-most starling is expertly drawn. A tiny drawing that has everything - a real gem!
Woody
Well-known member
Woody
Well-known member
And now for something completely different...
After a day of detailing the owl I fancied a bit of experiment for the evening. So, armed with a big canvas, loads of paint, sketches and plenty of booze I locked myself in the conservatory and proceeded to make like a real artist and splash some paint about with the big brushes.
I finished it off on sunday and I'm reasonably happy with it. I think there are areas for improvement on future projects and I'm not even sure I want to go down this route completely anyway but I'd be glad to hear what anybody else thinks.
B
Mike
After a day of detailing the owl I fancied a bit of experiment for the evening. So, armed with a big canvas, loads of paint, sketches and plenty of booze I locked myself in the conservatory and proceeded to make like a real artist and splash some paint about with the big brushes.
I finished it off on sunday and I'm reasonably happy with it. I think there are areas for improvement on future projects and I'm not even sure I want to go down this route completely anyway but I'd be glad to hear what anybody else thinks.
B
Mike
Attachments
Strandman
Well-known member
And now for something completely different...
After a day of detailing the owl I fancied a bit of experiment for the evening. So, armed with a big canvas, loads of paint, sketches and plenty of booze I locked myself in the conservatory and proceeded to make like a real artist and splash some paint about with the big brushes.
I finished it off on sunday and I'm reasonably happy with it. I think there are areas for improvement on future projects and I'm not even sure I want to go down this route completely anyway but I'd be glad to hear what anybody else thinks.
B
Mike
Its good- all over the land people reaching for booze and the bristly brushes!
Maybe this May we should have a paint-more-neatly-athon where very one stays sober and paints with extreme attention to detail.
timwootton
Well-known member
Last things first - a resounding "YES" for the lappies, comp and cont are excellent and your approach seems very natural. I wouldn't be concerned about 'your style' - just paint what you want, how you want to - it'll then BE your style. I approach different subjects and differently sized supports in different ways, but, funnily enough, although brushmarks may be larger, or less concentrated, on examination it's still precisely the same technique. I love the outcome of your painting, whatever.
The owl has succeded in every way - as we thought it would. Super lighting and a charismatic little bird.
The owl has succeded in every way - as we thought it would. Super lighting and a charismatic little bird.
nickderry
C'est pas ma faute, je suis anglais.
you kept us waiting for the owl, and it was worth it, what a beautiful piece! Subtle and bold all in the same picture, one of my favourites, and then the lapwings YAY! You've popped over to the dark side of booze-fuelled splashing! They're superb, an expression of tone, form and light. Couldn't agree more with what Tim said about painting what you want, how you want. Even if this route isn't one you want to go down a the time, it certainly opens your eyes to possibilities on the route you choose. Even I possess a 00 brush! (Not that it gets used much!) Seriously, these two pic have cheered me up no end, after a horribe afternoon teling the kids that they're naughty to make so much noise when I'm ill.
ARTHUR BISHOP
Well-known member
Like them both a lot mike
ARTHUR BISHOP
Well-known member
Love the Snipes but looking forward to the one you have in mind
