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

revivingKensArt (1 Viewer)

Oddly enough this paper is actually pretty solid for sketchbook paper. I just drastically overdid things. But the nice thing is that I tend not to get precious about it. So I can do paintings much more quickly and loosely. Then if I decide I like something, like this one, I can try it again on a properly behaving watercolor paper.

And if I don't I just flip the page and move on to the next one. I wouldn't normally buy something called 'Super Deluxe' because I would just about bet that it was in fact "Super Cheap". But I'm pretty happy with this paper. Maybe not 'Super Deluxe' but at least "Surprisingly Sturdy".
 
That's a really interesting series of Pintail- especially that first one. I like the sense of it being a real gathering rather than birds taken and placed in a picture.

As for thin paper- I quite like the strategy of letting it cockle and puddle and then (hopefully when dry) jam it in scanner at 1200 dpi with a book on top to flatten it. Then see how the output looks, digitweak if needs be and - if good- print it back out onto flat paper. Don't suppose it will catch on though...
 
ed keeble said:
That's a really interesting series of Pintail- especially that first one. I like the sense of it being a real gathering rather than birds taken and placed in a picture.

As for thin paper- I quite like the strategy of letting it cockle and puddle and then (hopefully when dry) jam it in scanner at 1200 dpi with a book on top to flatten it. Then see how the output looks, digitweak if needs be and - if good- print it back out onto flat paper. Don't suppose it will catch on though...
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I do like the idea of showing birds in their environment, either natural or in this case social(all the other ducks). Maybe that's why I'm fond of it as well.

I'm not sure about your scanning and digitweaking method but I do have a scanner in front of me that hasn't even been plugged in for 6 months or so. I may just try it as a plain old flattener!
 
Thanks Tim. I actually feel like I've made some progress with all of my duck work, especially the pintails. Now I need to make sure the holidays don't completely stop my momentum.
 
keep at it - you're really getting your eye in for this species and the scenes are becoming ever more complex and interesting.
 
Thanks Nick,

I do hope I can continue the interesting and complex scenes. I just picked up 'Portrait of a Living Marsh' recently and that's become a great inspiration, especially for including more landscape in my work. Of course being inspired and accomplishing something out of the inspiration are two different things.;)
 
solitaryVSong said:
I do hope I can continue the interesting and complex scenes. I just picked up 'Portrait of a Living Marsh' recently and that's become a great inspiration, especially for including more landscape in my work.
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I look fwd to seeing the result. I would like to try some more in the way of landscape and backgrounds in my own work ~ time to think about it. Sadly, I have no time for art right now :(
 
Some quick dribs and drabs, just so it doesn't look like everyone has completely abandoned ship on posting any work. These are Carolina Wren, Ruddy Duck and Wood Duck and ducklings.

Eventually I'll get back to more developed work on better paper but for now it's quick sketches when I can fit them!
 

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Wren and feeder for me too. Good to see other people are still finding time to do something, I spent the day wrapping pressies after a nice little walk in tons of snow!

Mike
 
Woody said:
Wren and feeder for me too. Good to see other people are still finding time to do something, I spent the day wrapping pressies after a nice little walk in tons of snow!

Mike
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Thanks Tim and Mike. I think the Snow Gods must have been listening Mike as you wrote your email. This weekend we had the most pre-Christmas snow in the last 100 years! A pleasure to look at but not the most fun to shovel or drive around in.

Nonetheless we'll all be able to enjoy a very White Christmas. Hope that everyone here will also have a White and Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year! As Arthur says, 'May it be all you hope for.'
 
thanks for the inspiration Ken, these little works are lovely, I've been out a few times and saw some new birds, so this is a prod to get the sketches painted in...
 
colleenc said:
thanks for the inspiration Ken, these little works are lovely, I've been out a few times and saw some new birds, so this is a prod to get the sketches painted in...
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A timely response Colleen since I was thinking about thanking you for the inspiration I've found in 'Ten Days to Paint the Forest.' I just got it yesterday but I know you mentioned in quite a few months ago. It is just great to see how masterfully Lars and others handle watercolor. The brushes dance across the paper. I think that is the way it should be done! My brushes are more like beginning ice skaters, always falling down with a thud.

I wish there were more time spent on the artists but I also have enjoyed learning about the area and after all that is why they were there. I'm sure I'll watch it many, many times.
 
Speaking of working from photos this drawing is from a number of photos I've taken of Canada Warblers at Shenandoah National Park over the years. They are beautiful bright yellow, blue-gray and black birds. But I've always had the most difficult time in the world drawing wood warblers from life. They just don't sit still.

In this case I had a good photo with a lot of detail. The problem is that there may have been too much detail. I can see that I've gotten lost in trying to render too many feathers.

But I plan to do some more photographic studies. Hopefully by the time I'm done I will have learned something more about them and be able to render them without getting lost in the feathers. And then maybe actually sketch them from life if I'm lucky enough to see them again next May.
 

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like the viewpoint here, haven't seen one of these so it would remain a lbj for me.....bet when you see them in May, you'll be able to capture it faster now.
 
Thanks Tim and Colleen. Tim, I hope you'll be happy to know that your newest catalog sits atop 'The Living Birds of Eric Ennion' in my studio. I took it out and took another look this morning. It's always a pleasure to do so.

Colleen, though my drawing doesn't indicate it this isn't really a lbj. From the top it looks a bit drab, mainly gray blue. But the head has the darkest black markings, a huge eyering, and a bright yellow underside. So if you see it anywhere but from the top it's a really striking bird. Not a 'little brown job' at all. Have you seen any of the wood warblers of the American West? I know you have some beauties out there that we don't see here.

I sure hope that I'll have better luck in drawing them in their next migration. This year I was just stopped cold! Before I'd formed a mental picture to draw they had moved on. Lars Jonsson said "sketching songbirds is one of the most difficult things to to." I think you can multiply that by 5 or 10 when the songbirds are wood warblers. But they still are such a pleasure to see in their brief migratory visit that all you can do is enjoy them.
 
Hi Ken,
I wouldn't have any idea what it was if I did see it, I'd have to be with some birders to know or have it visit my feeder where I could look it up. Haven't really tried to tackle songbirds yet, waiting till I get more skill and speed, and have to admit I have a real attraction to the waterbirds over the songbirds.

"lbj" is my short hand for small songbird shaped things when I have no idea what it is including colors other than brown. I know birders use it for brown birds in the bush, I just borrowed it for my own use. ;)
 
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