Welcome to Nick's dining room table. (1 Viewer)

[timwootton]

There are some pieces of genius here. The first ringed plover sketch sheet - tiny study, bottom right - the lesser whitethroat and common sand sheets are, generally, superb (especially considering they were done by a child of 14, or so?) The mute swan ought to be in Busby's 'How to . . .' revised edition, and the red-b-shrike culminates in a piece of brilliance. Cheers.

 

[Woody]

Nick, I've just been looking at your gallery and it's reminded me to ask you something. I'm a massive fan of your compositional skills, as you've probably worked out. Thing is, do you meticulously plan the positions of every leaf, twig, cloud, splash etc or is it an instinctive process with you?

Woody

 

[nickderry]

Nick, I've just been looking at your gallery and it's reminded me to ask you something. I'm a massive fan of your compositional skills, as you've probably worked out. Thing is, do you meticulously plan the positions of every leaf, twig, cloud, splash etc or is it an instinctive process with you?

Woody

I don't plan out much at all, I suppose I usually start with my main focus (the thing that I want to be the boldest) - be it the bird itself, a twig, a rock etc and decide where to put it, then I see where that takes my eye on the paper, and add a little something there, and then carry on moving round until I've got something worked out. Often I let the birds compose themselves though - which means I sketch nothing until I see the composition I want (not to be recommended as I often come back empty handed). I think I'll start posting any compositional work with the finished pieces so you can have a look at the process from the very beginning.

 

[Woody]

I don't plan out much at all, I suppose I usually start with my main focus (the thing that I want to be the boldest) - be it the bird itself, a twig, a rock etc and decide where to put it, then I see where that takes my eye on the paper, and add a little something there, and then carry on moving round until I've got something worked out. Often I let the birds compose themselves though - which means I sketch nothing until I see the composition I want (not to be recommended as I often come back empty handed). I think I'll start posting any compositional work with the finished pieces so you can have a look at the process from the very beginning.

That would be cool Nick. It sounds like it's a bit of both then?

Woody

 

[dryslwyn]

My favourite of your recent work is the kingfisher. Love it :t:

 

[Mabel]

That Kingfisher is stunning, Nick.

 

[kittykat23uk]

I did a silly thing today, I impulsively went to the bookshop and found they had a copy of 'La Camargue' by Bruce Pearson, and so I had to buy it -only about a tenner! My obsession with his work has returned with a vengeance and now I'm trying to imitate his style again! (Though I still think these pics are me)

I remeber doing a pinting class with Bruce Pearson at Welney when I was a teenager. Top bloke! You would be amazed at the detail he could get from such a thick watercolour brush. Your sketches are brill. I love the red backed shrike.:cat:

 

[Mouldy]

Hope you don't get tired of all the praise that comes your way Nick but just to add my twopennorthworth the unusual angle on the kingfisher is brilliant.

 

[Phil Davis]

Wish I could sketch as badly as you Nick.Your early work while not a patch on your present day stuff shows remarkable talent .

 

[nickderry]

What a lovely day it's been, and finally managed to get out and do some field painting (until someone came along and scared all the birds off in order to wash a sail, even though there is no access to where he was - the 4 letter word for him begins with a 'c', ends in a 't' and isn't 'coot'. Here's what I got before he came along!

 

[Mabel]

Looking good, Nick. You nail the poses! Mine are always profiles, but you just get them bang on! Looking forward to seeing your next "biggie"!

 

[dryslwyn]

Smashing day here as well. Did get out for a couple of hours myself. Love your days work.

 

[timwootton]

Just arrived at these latest drawings - wow. As a request from the wings - please 'do' the swans in some 'finished' form? Tern and BHG (ought to be a children's story!) is captivating - scope for yet more Derryness!
Excellent.

 

[nickderry]

As promised, I'm posting a little bit on how I work out my compositions. Apologies for going back to April's Black-necked Grebes, but as you all know, I never cracked it.
The composition is basically the same as what I saw in the field, but now I've decided to remove the GC Grebes, as they split the composition in 2. I can focus in on the BN Grebes more. I've gone for quite a wide landscape image as this will contrast with the verticals of the birds.

Very hard to explain some things, the main focal point is the grebe right of centre, will have to make sure there is enough 'space' in front of it to allow 'energy' to flow that way.

Too hard to explain! But here's some pictures from the composition sketch to the drawing out of the finished piece. The coloured painting was going to be the finished piece but there just isn't enough detail in the birds for it to work.

 

[nickderry]

Just arrived at these latest drawings - wow. As a request from the wings - please 'do' the swans in some 'finished' form? Tern and BHG (ought to be a children's story!) is captivating - scope for yet more Derryness!
Excellent.

The swans are going to be put into some sort of composition, and I'm going to put the startled heron in behind them too - hope you'll like the result, Tim as I can't get a certain Tunnicliffe's family of swans out of my head (doubt it'll bear much ressemblance, but there may be some influence showing). Got so much to be getting on with now, as there is a crag martins pic in the pipeline, those infernal BN Grebes and the birding will be getting good again soon.

 

[nickderry]

Have put a few layers of paint on the BN Grebes, but spent the afternoon looking at new flats (it's so dark in this one) so didn't get as much done as I'd hoped to. here are some compositional sketches for the swans, and I'm still puzzling over the crag martins - I can see in my head a painting that makes me go 'wow', unfortunately, I can't see what it looks like (if that makes sense).

 

[Vectis Birder]

That does make sense, Nick. I think of pictures that have the wow factor in my brain, but the reality is that they come out nowhere near what I'd imagined.

 

[deborah4]

My heart always leaps when I see your work Nick - it's like a favourite tune that comes on or when someone special walks into the room - can't explain it better really - I love your use of watercolour, I wish I could dominate the medium instead of it being the other way round and it dominating me!!

 

[nickderry]

My heart always leaps when I see your work Nick - it's like a favourite tune that comes on or when someone special walks into the room - can't explain it better really - I love your use of watercolour, I wish I could dominate the medium instead of it being the other way round and it dominating me!!

It's nice that you say that Deborah, but when I finally saw your watercolours, I thought 'wish I could do that!'. And as for me dominating the watercolour, I really think sometimes it's the paint that's got the handcuffs and whip!

 

[nickderry]

update with the grebes, and also a photo of tonight's inspiration (only 1.5 euro for a litre and a half, thats 1 centime for 10ml!!)