timwootton
Well-known member
Another sumptious bunch, Russ - very smart.
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Recent sketches (6 Viewers)
- Thread starter RussB
- Start date
Mackem George
Well-known member
hi russ especially like the gulls great work there sir,plenty detail you are really flying russ with these sketches if you pardon the pun
george
george
RussB
Going for Gold
Thanks for your appreciative comments, guys.
Further fieldwork from Tenerife; Great Grey Shrike, (or is that still Southern Grey Shrike?) of the local race 'Koenigi'. I found one of these in an area of unforgiving terrain about a mile or so from the apartment, and could have sketched it all day long, but the blighters have large territories and blend in surprisingly easy with their environment. When they do oblige they are superb models, though. I briefly stumbled across one of the nominate race birds back in the uk in Oct, so that really whetted my appetite for them. If I can I plan to use the last sketch as an illustration for this year's local bird report. Just tone down the grey underparts to white; easy, innit? My bird did perch on a stone wall, too. Isn't it called 'artistic licence' or something?
Cheers
Further fieldwork from Tenerife; Great Grey Shrike, (or is that still Southern Grey Shrike?) of the local race 'Koenigi'. I found one of these in an area of unforgiving terrain about a mile or so from the apartment, and could have sketched it all day long, but the blighters have large territories and blend in surprisingly easy with their environment. When they do oblige they are superb models, though. I briefly stumbled across one of the nominate race birds back in the uk in Oct, so that really whetted my appetite for them. If I can I plan to use the last sketch as an illustration for this year's local bird report. Just tone down the grey underparts to white; easy, innit? My bird did perch on a stone wall, too. Isn't it called 'artistic licence' or something?
Cheers
Attachments
RussB
Going for Gold
Sketches of an Osprey at El Fraile reservoir. Always wondered how I'd 'perform' if such a bird obliged back home! The occasion here was not helped one bit by my zoom eyepiece fogging up (Swarovski, you are black marked!), especially with the heat haze. A rather odd plumaged bird - note the tail pattern and 'piano key' patter upperwing. Perhaps a juv. moulting into adult plumage?
Easy perched up, but in flight? As 0.5% of my birds are sketched in flight I surprised myself a bit with these efforts. No time to think about it, it just went down. Some angles of flying birds are simply impossible for me to see, let alone draw! For the definitive osprey study, see page 73 of John Busby's 'Birds of Mallorca' - sublime.
Every now and again I look at my sketching to see how it's developing, and I'm always recognising it falls some way short of that of the more 'accomplished' on here! It should inspire one to greater efforts but I think there comes a time when you have to accept you've reached a certain standard and just enjoy it.
Cheers
Russ
Easy perched up, but in flight? As 0.5% of my birds are sketched in flight I surprised myself a bit with these efforts. No time to think about it, it just went down. Some angles of flying birds are simply impossible for me to see, let alone draw! For the definitive osprey study, see page 73 of John Busby's 'Birds of Mallorca' - sublime.
Every now and again I look at my sketching to see how it's developing, and I'm always recognising it falls some way short of that of the more 'accomplished' on here! It should inspire one to greater efforts but I think there comes a time when you have to accept you've reached a certain standard and just enjoy it.
Cheers
Russ
Attachments
timwootton
Well-known member
Teneriffic!!! The shrikes are beautifully done, Russ. Very envious of these drawings!!
ARTHUR BISHOP
Well-known member
can only agree plus gulls are superbly done
solitaryVSong
Well-known member
After seeing all your progress with gulls it's great to see that it's carried over to other species as well. I love the shrikes. I've never seen a shrike of any sort but a Northern Shrike has been nearby for the last couple of days. If only it will stay until I have the time to get out and see it..........
RussB
Going for Gold
Cheers all,
More Tenerife sketches. I spent a few hours just sketching the local 'atlantis' gulls in flight. As you can see from these efforts, very little of my time is spent trying to draw birds in flight! These are something of a progression, though. Gulls are, I agree, one of the easier birds to study in flight, but, like I've said before, some of the wing angles are impossible for me to see. I also think, without dissing other peoples considerably greater talent, that some aspects of bird's flight just aren't possible without using aquired knowledge and/or video and photographs. But then I'm not the world's best judge of talent and my eyes are non too good - just ask Rockfowl! I do indeed have a Tim Wooton/John Busby cardboard gull, too!
I really got into these, though. About one in 6 could actually fly at the end of it, I think!
Cheers
More Tenerife sketches. I spent a few hours just sketching the local 'atlantis' gulls in flight. As you can see from these efforts, very little of my time is spent trying to draw birds in flight! These are something of a progression, though. Gulls are, I agree, one of the easier birds to study in flight, but, like I've said before, some of the wing angles are impossible for me to see. I also think, without dissing other peoples considerably greater talent, that some aspects of bird's flight just aren't possible without using aquired knowledge and/or video and photographs. But then I'm not the world's best judge of talent and my eyes are non too good - just ask Rockfowl! I do indeed have a Tim Wooton/John Busby cardboard gull, too!
I really got into these, though. About one in 6 could actually fly at the end of it, I think!
Cheers
Attachments
RussB
Going for Gold
More gulls plus Ringed Plovers. RP is one of my favourite subjects, and as you'll know, are also very difficult. I managed to fill my boots and make these studies when two birds I was watching for a couple of hours decided to take some down time! One thing about sketching out here is that there are 10 zillion volcanic rocks littered around the place but not one has a smooth surface on which to perch your posterior on! So these were particularly hard-earned!
Cheers
Russ
Cheers
Russ
Attachments
solitaryVSong
Well-known member
All very striking Russ. And you remind me that I'm months behind in constructing my Wootton gull and hanging it from studio! The RPs are terrific. They're really gaining in tonal richness and how you're putting everything together.
Next thing you know you'll be doing a standalone painting!
Next thing you know you'll be doing a standalone painting!
Strandman
Well-known member
great selection of ringed plover- there's somehow some extra in them, bit of added shadow and shape: very smart
Woody
Well-known member
ARTHUR BISHOP
Well-known member
more superb sketches,any coming with alittle colour wash Russ?
RussB
Going for Gold
Cheers all,
Well Arth I would if only I could bump into someone to give me a demo. It's another excuse I'm afraid. To tell you all the truth I'm struggling with simply using black watercolor at the moment. Perhaps this is not the easiest colour to use for illustrative purposes but I do find it easier than ink, which I just find impossible to control! I want to be able to achieve nice smooth gradations in tone but I'm finding it difficult. It's probably basic school boy errors, but I do wonder how it's done. Read books? I've done it, and it's like pulling teeth. Perhaps I'm trying too hard, and the results I'm looking for aren't achievable.
My last batch from Tenerife. More YLG studies, plus Little Egrets, Turnstones and Whimbrel.
Also five of my lastest, more successful, practice pieces using black washes:
Shoveler, Smew, Blackbird a a couple of Dunlin. It's all a bit GCSE Grade D in Art I'm afraid!
