• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Joint Thread (1 Viewer)

Lovely atmosphere Peter and the collection of birds is totally convincing (I like the use of changing light effects on the drake's head which reflects blue, where the others are green - clever stuff).
Incidentally, you may have missed on my thread but I had a lovely couple from the States to do some birding with me this week. Discussing things in the car it transpires their son is a wildfowl fanatic. "I wonder if he's heard of Peter Mathios?" I asked them. "Whoa!!!! He's just the best - he's our favourite, too!!!!" came the reply.
 
timwootton said:
Incidentally, you may have missed on my thread but I had a lovely couple from the States to do some birding with me this week. Discussing things in the car it transpires their son is a wildfowl fanatic. "I wonder if he's heard of Peter Mathios?" I asked them. "Whoa!!!! He's just the best - he's our favourite, too!!!!" came the reply.
Click to expand...

Small World! Do you remember their names?
 
I originally put this on Nick's new blog thread, but, as Tim suggested, perhaps it would be better here.

I'd like to recommend another sketching blog, recently set up by my cousin, Rich, who's a Scot, emigrated to Canada and now working as a 'news combat artist' in Afghanistan.

http://communities.canada.com/nation...l/default.aspx

No birds, but I'm sure you'll appreciate his art and text. Anyway, I'm dead proud to call him my cousin!

Cheers

Dave
 
Just had a longer look at his blog, Dave - a very talented draughtsman - family trait, obviously!!! His lifework is stunning and adds a different dimension to the images of conflict. send my regards, please.
 
nickderry said:
At last, we get to see one of your bird paintings! So now I know that you can do it! Let's address some of those points.

1) Lack of talent - you have got to be joking, you are very talented. You may confuse finding a way of incorporating birds as subject matter into your methods as a lack of talent, because the results won't at first be what you want. You'll find your way, lose your way, change direction and get frustrated but also you'll learn new things, see new things, surprise yourself, shock yourself etc etc. My advice is paint, worry later!

2) Photography is a cop out. No, I don't agree. Photography is a valid form of art, and your photos are beautiful. Painting birds wouldn't mean that photos are now obsolete, you would simply be adding another string to your bow.

3) Lack of patience. I don't think you need patience especially, often it's useful, but rarely necessary. I hardly have any patience for painting, I have an image in my head, and I want it on the paper straight away. Find shortcuts, birds feathers are rarely convincing if treated individually, they form masses and patterns.
Click to expand...

You make some good points there Nick. I get assailed by the same self-doubts as Psilo does and I get discouraged and hacked off fairly quickly. I am also not blessed with the greatest amount of patience in the world, either moving on to something else within a minute or two or just being easily distracted.
For example, I have started sketching the garden birds this morning, now I am typing away on the computer and the sketchbook is still in the kitchen! I have a 'butterfly mind' in some ways and it irritates the hell out of me, yet I can't seem to break out of it. It's why I am less than prolific, months go by without so much as a single sketch finding it's way onto paper. :-C
 
The important thing is you started, you can go back to it later. I had all day to paint and do everything yesterday and instead I spent all day drinking wine because I was fed up and finding old friends on facebook, when I did start to paint, it was gone midnight. I always put things off to the last minute.

We all get discouraged and hacked off with our artwork, other people are the only ones that will appreciate your work for what it is, and then you won't agree with them. Sometimes I wonder what the whole painting thing is all about, it seems more destructive than creative, but then artists have always been a strange bunch! :)
 
I think it is important for all of us to recognize that we aren't out there alone in bouts of self-doubt.

I am always relieved to hear that others can be as scattered, or get as frustrated as I do.
Maybe it takes time and practice in the ritual of art; Maybe it is society who doesn't put value on making a living as an artist that instills our feelings that the work that we do isn't as significant as it should be.

All I know is, it is really good to have strong encouraging people such as you all willing to support each other.
 
Hi all, I thought I was the only one who went through the self doubt trip. Good to know the rest of you do as sometimes your work looks so confident its hard to believe. I am part of a joint exhibition (not birds) opening on Friday and I am beset by doubt and worried that everyone else will sell out and I wont sell any! Everybody on this forum is amazingly supportive .
Phil.
 
Phil Davis said:
Hi all, I thought I was the only one who went through the self doubt trip. Good to know the rest of you do as sometimes your work looks so confident its hard to believe. I am part of a joint exhibition (not birds) opening on Friday and I am beset by doubt and worried that everyone else will sell out and I wont sell any! Everybody on this forum is amazingly supportive .
Phil.
Click to expand...

My confidence comes and goes in sometimes quite alarming waves. Right now I think it's on the wane again but hopefully I'll work through it. It happens to us all I guess. Good luck with the exhibition.

Woody
 
Part of my problem, I think, (*self-analysis time*), is that, as a teenager I drew and painted all the time but my mum and stepdad were of the sort who, instead of being encouraging, were inclined to say - 'You're not *that* good' (art) and 'You'll never amount to much' (everything else).

I know it sounds daft, but that has had a knock on effect my whole life.

Sooooo... this is why BF and the Wildlife art sub forum is so good, encouragement and help from fellow and aspiring artists. Cheers!
 
Last edited:
VB, I had a similar experience growing up, but it was more along the lines of 'since you're a girl, do your little arty stuff and marry a fine man who will support you and all the children you should have'. Supportive, but not inspiring as far as self-worth goes.

Good luck Phil!
 
Plover!

Who doesn't love a good rarity? These fellows are the first known Piping Plover to successfully nest on the Peninsula in over 30 years, and an army of biologists, game wardens and dedicated volunteers were about to ward off the tourists when I made my way up the beach at noon today. The eggs had hatched a week earlier, and the three surviving chicks were scuttling about the dunes under the watchful eyes of their parents (and a horde of overprotective onlookers). It's amazing to see so much fuss over one little family of birds! A nice rare breeder (and lifer!) to finish off my long weekend.
 

Attachments

  • sketchbook 2007-07-02.jpg
    sketchbook 2007-07-02.jpg
    85.1 KB · Views: 153
  • Piping Plover 2007-07-02.jpg
    Piping Plover 2007-07-02.jpg
    51.9 KB · Views: 152
I keep coming back to this page of drawings - you manage to get so much action and information into it - fabulous work. The sitting bird at 3/4 view away from us is an exceptional drawing and I think the colour oiece is divine in its simplicity.
Very good indeed.
 
These are just beautiful, have never seen one but your sketches give it a definite character and look that sets it apart from the charadrius plovers we have in Europe. There's obvious pleasure taken in sketching these.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 13 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

Swindon Addick
January 1st joint Birdforum list (2024 edition)
7 8 9
Replies
163
Views
7K
Oregonian
Oregonian
J
Hello! I'm Jonny Atkinson
Replies
16
Views
631
Jonny Atkinson
J
A
Nikon P900/950 - Is there anything comparable worth considering?
Replies
4
Views
1K
AveryBartels
A
mgp13
Leica Trinovid HD appreciation thread
Replies
12
Views
2K
Rg548
R
G
Common Tern? W France
Replies
2
Views
654
smiths
S

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top