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Mabel's Moment (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Mabel
- Start date
This is my first entry lol!
I believe it was Nick who pointed out that I should put my birds into context rather than have a bird on a white background. This is my first submission. I debated taking pictures of the different stages but I didn't! Lol!
Have been inspired by the recent National Geographic pics. This was done with acrylics.
I believe it was Nick who pointed out that I should put my birds into context rather than have a bird on a white background. This is my first submission. I debated taking pictures of the different stages but I didn't! Lol!
Have been inspired by the recent National Geographic pics. This was done with acrylics.
Attachments
Still far better than I could ever hope to achieve.
nickderry
C'est pas ma faute, je suis anglais.
yes, this makes a much stronger piece than a detached bird floating on paper! Good and bold. Hope you'll manage to have a go at doing some field sketching at some point, photos are great for inspiration, but the wild birds can't be beaten for putting in your own personal touch. Looking forward to seeing more soon!
timwootton
Well-known member
Far, far superior to anything you've posted previously Mabel - ah! grasshopper, he learns well!!! I think you perhaps need to 'marry' your media to your support a little more technically. What I mean is, it's difficult to slap half a pound of acrylic onto a kleenex tissue without something, somewhere giving way. It looks to me like this big, bold and loaded with colour angle is going to work for you, so you need a support - piece of cardboard, primed plywood, canvas or whatever - that will help you carry it off. Great start - look forward to watching how your technique and ideas progress.
timwootton
Well-known member
Oh, and I'm really sorry if he's a personal friend of yours, but how long is that guy gonna keep that up for - I have to scroll past him very quickly, so as not to gip with dizzy nausea.
Phil Davis
Well-known member
great effort mabel but as Tim says try a different support
Phil.
Phil.
ARTHUR BISHOP
Well-known member
I love it Mabel
KC Thanks! Much appreciated.
Nick Thanks and yeah, field sketching is coming soon. It is new territory for me though. I have just been "inspired" by the Paradise pics lately so felt compelled to give in lol!
Tim and Phil I shall consider it indeed. I love impasto but the effects on the paper were immediate. Actually have a wooden and a cardboard support in reserve, so I'm kinda kicking myself now!
Arthur Thanks! :t:
Nick Thanks and yeah, field sketching is coming soon. It is new territory for me though. I have just been "inspired" by the Paradise pics lately so felt compelled to give in lol!
Tim and Phil I shall consider it indeed. I love impasto but the effects on the paper were immediate. Actually have a wooden and a cardboard support in reserve, so I'm kinda kicking myself now!
Arthur Thanks! :t:
Andrew Ellis
Well-known member
Go for it mabel, !! get stuck in
Vectis Birder
Itchy feet
I missed this thread - lovely piece, Mabel. I like the vibrant colours.
OK over 12 hours late, but I'm sure no-one cares. :cat:
I haven't actually been lazy, I have been working on that wooden thing. Tedious as heck. HECK I tells ya!
Anyway I am considering another picture, and so done prep sketches. In keeping with the colour-ridden theme of my first one, I have a possible Pheasant.
The other ones are the Grey Heron I saw on Saturday. I really want to do one of it, but during the sketches, I found it very difficult. I shall see how it goes, and naturally all comments are welcome. :t:
I haven't actually been lazy, I have been working on that wooden thing. Tedious as heck. HECK I tells ya!
Anyway I am considering another picture, and so done prep sketches. In keeping with the colour-ridden theme of my first one, I have a possible Pheasant.
The other ones are the Grey Heron I saw on Saturday. I really want to do one of it, but during the sketches, I found it very difficult. I shall see how it goes, and naturally all comments are welcome. :t:
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nickderry
C'est pas ma faute, je suis anglais.
that wooden thing looks very impressive indeed! (and tedious to do aswell, but the result looks worth it!). Your prep work is impressively expressive, I'm going to stick my neck out and say that there are a few things to maybe address as regards the proportions of the bird, if of course that is an issue for you, your style lends very well to not needing to worry about such details, creating a strong image based on colours and strong shapes, so if that is the way you want to go, then do that. I just needed to point it out as when I started out doing bigger pictures (at about 15) I couldn't see the 'errors' I was making - seriously! I've got pictures of BH Gulls with chaffinch beaks and lapwings with Dawn French legs. The problem for me was that I was trying hard to get the birds to be the exact correct shape and proportions, but as I've said, your working methods don't necessarily need to worry about this. (I hope I'm making sense - have invented a new cocktail and have been tasting it a little too much!) Looking forward to seeing how the pictures develop, just dive in and create something stunning!
Mouldy
skywatcher, dragonhunter
Hi Mabel, at least you're out there doing something. I've still yet to start my field sketching so I'm no expert, but I reckon if you concentrate on one species eg the heron, and do it repeatedly it will eventually click and you can take the lessons learned into the next bird, is that a valid way of working? I'm sure someone will let me know.
nickderry
C'est pas ma faute, je suis anglais.
That is good advice, the more familiar you get with a bird, the easier it becomes (except with Herring gulls - they will always remain impossible to get right!) proportions are one of the most difficult things to get right. I've posted stuff on here only to look a few days later and seeing that I was way off - purple herons' beaks spring to mind! A few years back I was in the habit of painting thick legs, followed by flying birds that all had impossibly long primaries, then it became big heads in all my pictures. When I'm back in the UK I'll have a dig around for some of my old atrocities, it should be a giggle to have a look at them. As I said Mabel, my comments weren't to put your drawing down in any way at all, good bird art can often (should?!) stray from the path a little.
Hi Mouldy! Thanks for the comment-I think you're right-I will certainly try it anyway.
Nick-seriously dude, no offence taken at all! I had a brilliant art teacher in high school, but he could blast you out of the sky with his criticism. The way I see it, nothing here is personal, so feel free to constructively criticise. I'm learning from the best on forums like these!
Nick-seriously dude, no offence taken at all! I had a brilliant art teacher in high school, but he could blast you out of the sky with his criticism. The way I see it, nothing here is personal, so feel free to constructively criticise. I'm learning from the best on forums like these!
dryslwyn
Well-known member
It's always a tricky one - accuracy ( is that spelling right) versus expressiveness.
Mabel I am quite envious of you strong direct approach because although I have been painting a while I am pretty timid |<| - somthing I am working on. I would suggest you keep your own style but also do lots of drawing and work on those proportions.
Really good stuff.
Mabel I am quite envious of you strong direct approach because although I have been painting a while I am pretty timid |<| - somthing I am working on. I would suggest you keep your own style but also do lots of drawing and work on those proportions.
Really good stuff.
