From the sketchbook... (3 Viewers)

[timwootton]

Cracking illustration work Al - they have all the character of your fieldwork with that added bit of polish required for the purpose. Love 'em and I'm with Nick on the chats - either or both - lovely work. Can't you borrow a scope?

 

[buzzard12]

New toys...

Have spent the evening hooking a new scanner to the computer, then another few hours working out how to scan and resize images. Its not an expensive item, a Hp Deskjet F2280, though must say the scanner seems rather good and will save me running out the back garden with sketchbook/camera in hand and all the downloading that goes on....

Better image of the earlier Golden Oriole, plus a much more carefully drawn piece which was redrawn several times in pencil over my lightboard before black pen was added...

With regard to borrowing a scope, dont know a lot of birders here Tim! Hopefully it wont be too long, has been with Leica for a week now, so may get back sooner rather than later. Always have my binoculars, though have to say I am so used to using an angled scope when sketching I really am not sure binoculars will work for me that well. I'm much happier whilst contorted into a hunched ball, one eye socket impaled on the eyepiece, this allows me to support the weight of my upperbody with my eyeball, leaving my hands free, one for a pencil, the other holding the sketchbook on my thigh of my left leg, a limb which can now perform feats an oragami master might be proud of....

 

[timwootton]

Like this second golden oriole very much - hope the scope comes back soon. I've got an old Opticron Piccalo I could post to you for a while if your isn't forthcoming - no bother. It's an angled eye.

 

[buzzard12]

Like this second golden oriole very much - hope the scope comes back soon. I've got an old Opticron Piccalo I could post to you for a while if your isn't forthcoming - no bother. It's an angled eye.

Very, very kind of you Tim, but should manage for a few weeks.

Sorry not been back to you sooner, lost my internet connection for 7 whole days! (one of the more constructive weeks of my recent life)

Been getting out, managed a few scribbles thru the binos and have the camera to, had a lovely Red throated Pipit this morning, was a lovely beast...

Thanks again, will post soon!

Alan.

 

[buzzard12]

Well, scope finally arrived back, restored to even better than its former self, reckon Leica must of cleaned the prisms and lenses whilst they had it, brilliant job, new foot, the lot. Got out yesterday morning for a stroll in Tyresta NP., brilliant birds, all breeding summer migrants. Didn't know where to turn, going back later in the week at dawn specifically for Wood Warbler, Wryneck, Redstart and some Goshawks I think have pinned down and can view without disturbibg now the young have fledged. Just nice to be back out sketching again. Some from yesterday here, scanned rather than photographed, hope quality is okay, seems to be better with bolder sketches?

 

[buzzard12]

Hobby inks. These drawing were made from photos I took last week, four of these birds hawking dragonflies made a big impression on me, want to do a canvas of these birds hunting over the reeds....

Goldeneye comp drawing has been worked up from a thumbnail of the fledglings, the female added is from an older sketch from a couple of years ago. This will become an acrylic canvas also....

 

[mark richards]

thats terrific sketches mate.... love the hobbys ...I'm going to carve a hobby ,when i get some measurements that i can work from.....mark.

 

[jomo]

Brilliant, brilliant. How do you manage to see forms so clearly? Never any hesitation in your work. I've admired your hobby photos over at the blog as well, some phenomenal shots (particularly the first one hawking the dragonfly, wow!)

 

[timwootton]

Love the throat sheet - beautifully balanced activity, not a line out of place, and the redback is delicious. Woodlark is quickly becoming your new signature bird - these drawings are real top drawer stuff.
The sense of motion you've retained in the hobby inks is admirable - one thing having excellent pics for reference, quite another making the correct selection of line and gesture to inject the necessary life into the work. These have it - in spades.
Nice goldeneye drawing - could easily be a finished piece, but looking forward to the canvas (now go and do it, eh?).

 

[Strandman]

Always a treat when your thread rises cream-like to the top-especially that RB Shrike.

 

[buzzard12]

Have spent the last few days trying to get a comp drawing for three or four hobby in the same canvas and am now at wits end! Just cannot get multiple birds into a frame looking natural, without going to a very large scale, which I don't really want to do. Has proved a very difficult exercise, keep ending up with a scene that looks contrived and more akin to the type of illustration one might do for a wetland mural!
For the moment am happiest with this sketch of a single bird, will place it top left in the frame and add a dragon fly for a point of focus on the right side, blue sky as a simple background.
Have begun on the Goldeneye and brood also, hopefully will find some time in the coming week to work both these pieces through...

 

[nickderry]

hey, I'd be happy with any of these as a finished piece, as Jo says, how do you see forms so clearly?
Maybe it'd help in deciding on a composition if you decided opn a part of the picture to put the birds in, and in the rest, there are none, if I'm making myself clear, so, say this part of the picture will contain the birds, now I must find a way of putting them in this space. Other tricks, throw the birds randomly, then adjust, look at it upside down, in a mirror, standing on your head etc. You'll find the way

 

[buzzard12]

Not a happy camper with this one, have stopped and am seriously considering scrubbing this and starting again, this time sticking rigidly to the black and white comp sketch. Somehow the canvas, being a larger surface, made me spread the birds out and have ended up with the adult bird too far from the young, just don't think this is working...

 

[nickderry]

only you can decide what is the right thing to do, but once you come to the end of the picture, there's not a lot you can change. FWIW I'm inclined to agree that the female is a little distant and you should force her back to her mothering duties!

 

[ARTHUR BISHOP]

Some lovely work here Alan

 

[buzzard12]

Blyth's Reed Warbler

Two of these singing machines this morning, a lifer for me and well chuffed to get stonking views for the few hours I was there. The song really is amazing, the most impressive mimicry I have ever come across.
A really imformative morning getting to grips with this species ID features. Photos and ID notes on the blog for those interested, some of the mornings sketches here.

 

[buzzard12]

And a few more here....

 

[timwootton]

Cracking job Alan - I'm well chuffed for you with this lifer and superb fieldwork to document the occasion. Lovely, lovely work. Oh - I think the advice above is on the button and I'm certain there's a painting or two to be had. Sometimes it's difficult to take the sketches on this extra stage (don't I know it!) bt it's more about our own expectiations of the finished pic. Ease off yerself a tad and it'll come - no doubt!

 

[jomo]

Congrats on the lifer -- a superb visual record of the occassion you've put together here, too!

 

[ARTHUR BISHOP]

Superb sketching Alan