-
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.
Joint Thread (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter buzzard12
- Start date
Phil Davis
Well-known member
nickderry
C'est pas ma faute, je suis anglais.
Arthur, love the little bundles of fluff, the ringie chick raised a broad smile. What a little character.
Phil, great to have another artist on board. I love the colour and your style of painting, it's a very vibrant piece and it sings summer. If I may suggest, the piece could be improved by making the background recede a bit more by making it paler or colder, also compositionally, there is some redundant space on the left. Of course, this is just my opinion. The vibrancy of the colour is a great success, giving a feel of being slapped in the face by the sun and the heat. Hope you'll post some more soon!
Phil, great to have another artist on board. I love the colour and your style of painting, it's a very vibrant piece and it sings summer. If I may suggest, the piece could be improved by making the background recede a bit more by making it paler or colder, also compositionally, there is some redundant space on the left. Of course, this is just my opinion. The vibrancy of the colour is a great success, giving a feel of being slapped in the face by the sun and the heat. Hope you'll post some more soon!
ARTHUR BISHOP
Well-known member
Phil now you have taken the step looking forward to seeing a lot more,
Nick the little ball of fluff made me laugh ,he couldn't run in a straight line.
Nick the little ball of fluff made me laugh ,he couldn't run in a straight line.
dryslwyn
Well-known member
Hi Nick Love the sketches- hope to get back to the great outdoors myself soon.
wendy
jomo
Well-known member
I've been chasing Dickcissel reports around the province for a couple of years now, so I was quite happy to finally pin down one of these handsome birds on my way up north on Friday (at the exact same location I'd searched for him last year, a day too late!). While relaxing bayside this weekend, we were frequently visited by a rather tame female Mallard and her brood of six looking for handouts. After some bread, the family clambered up on shore beside me and cuddled up together for an afternoon nap. I pride myself on being a bit of a tomboy, but baby ducks involuntarily bring out my girly side. 
After a rather bad job interview this afternoon, I needed some cheering up, so I went out looking for easy subjects. Last week I'd caught wind of a tern colony not far from LaSalle Marina (one of my favourite winter hangouts), so down to Burlington it was.
After a rather bad job interview this afternoon, I needed some cheering up, so I went out looking for easy subjects. Last week I'd caught wind of a tern colony not far from LaSalle Marina (one of my favourite winter hangouts), so down to Burlington it was.
timwootton
Well-known member
I just love these combined sheets of fieldwork - really top class stuff. I hadn't made the Ennion connection before, Nick - but you're spot on (and that must be a compliment coming from two folk who based Uni dissertations on the great man!). The design of the pages, strength, yet subtlety of the drawings and that dab of colour highlight - truly masterful. Great stuff. (When are ya getting the website finished!!!?)
Allen
Well-known member
Given the talents on this thread perhaps some guidance could be given to others, esp in respect to field sketches.
Whlst I do have some talent with a pencil, I always tend to start any sketch with the usual 2 ovals - 1 for the head and 1 for the body - and then add the extra details. However I do find this lends itself to quite 2-dimensinal images though - and usually side on. And open beaks, correct eye alignment/size are always real challenges to me.
Does anyone have any other tips on field sketching, starting points, angles etc etc?
Whlst I do have some talent with a pencil, I always tend to start any sketch with the usual 2 ovals - 1 for the head and 1 for the body - and then add the extra details. However I do find this lends itself to quite 2-dimensinal images though - and usually side on. And open beaks, correct eye alignment/size are always real challenges to me.
Does anyone have any other tips on field sketching, starting points, angles etc etc?
Strandman
Well-known member
Uni dissertations on the doctor?? Now that is interesting..maybe you could help me in my quest for a personal holy grail...whereabouts of the original of the feeding Spotted Redshank painting which forms the centre spread in Living Birds of Eric Ennion. It being by miles the finest bird painting done by anyone anywhere ever, I have long been curious as to its whereabouts (or for that mater the whereabouts of a copy of the poster/print which was made from it). There is a finders fee on offer..
All I know is that it was first done as poster for the RSPB (late 60s or early 70s?) and I believe they had the original at Sandy.
Last edited:
timwootton
Well-known member
Hi Ed - if RSPB at Sandy don't have it (and I know they have a huge amount of original Ennion and Tunnicliffes down there - remember Charlie did all the 'Birds' covers starting from the mid 50s for about 28 years or so . .. .) - I remember seeing some of the Doctor's work framed and on the office walls, but maybe they've been relocated to a more suitable site. I think Rob Hulme would know, if you can get a hold of him.
The diving shanks are sublime, though, aren't they - and the one (which Busby notes in his commentary) trailing a toe across the water surface. Superb.
So Jomo, you can see how good your stuff looks!
The diving shanks are sublime, though, aren't they - and the one (which Busby notes in his commentary) trailing a toe across the water surface. Superb.
So Jomo, you can see how good your stuff looks!
Phil Davis
Well-known member
amazing stuff Jomo, there is so much movement.
Phil.
Phil.
Last edited:
nickderry
C'est pas ma faute, je suis anglais.
jomo
Well-known member
I'll take any comparison to Dr. Ennion as a compliment of the highest order!
Allen, I think some postures are easier to 'make work' than others. Of course, most birds rarely stay still, so this doesn't help things! I usually watch for angles that accentuate the underlying structure, such as a turn of the head that shows the 'pinch' of the skull where the eyes sit (makes for less guesswork when trying to fill in the details around what little I've captured). Markings can also help in determining where to position things (check out some of Barry Van Dusen's field work -- the guy's a master at suggesting shape and form just by the simple deformation of markings due to the angle and posture of the bird).
Of course, having said all that, I'm also too frequently guilty of flat side-view birds. They're easy! But I'll admit that they're never the sketches that I'm most pleased with.
Allen, I think some postures are easier to 'make work' than others. Of course, most birds rarely stay still, so this doesn't help things! I usually watch for angles that accentuate the underlying structure, such as a turn of the head that shows the 'pinch' of the skull where the eyes sit (makes for less guesswork when trying to fill in the details around what little I've captured). Markings can also help in determining where to position things (check out some of Barry Van Dusen's field work -- the guy's a master at suggesting shape and form just by the simple deformation of markings due to the angle and posture of the bird).
Of course, having said all that, I'm also too frequently guilty of flat side-view birds. They're easy! But I'll admit that they're never the sketches that I'm most pleased with.
Strandman
Well-known member
I know what you mean about the 2 ovals. So what I try and do- and more importantly what I see in sketches by others that I admire on here and elsewhere- is to make sure that the first few lines are what you see and not based on a template, mental or otherwise. Then once you have some interesting lines on the page, you can use the 2 ovals etc. to check whether what you have done is basically sane, maybe pull in the wild initial lines a bit, but not lose them...
Take the outline of a wader. For belly-to-undertail, you can draw a gentle curve based on an oval or some other mental template and it will look basically fine. But a bit disappointing. So the trick if you can do it is not to start there- if in reality you see ball of fluff (puffed up stint) or a keeled wedge (a Terek sand..), draw that line from chin to tail first and worry about wrapping it round an oval later.
I'm not suggesting it is easy or that I have mastered it- but that's my tip of the day: put in a couple of strong lines first thing, so that everything doesn't turn out too normal. (Probably also Pete Doherty's motto.)
timwootton
Well-known member
Father's Day Mini-Break!!!
Was allowed a three hour respite from the kids today - decided to re-visit a few birds I have encountered during my 'day job' and enjoy them at a slightly more leisurely pace - birds include; oystercatcher, summer sanderlings, ringed plover, arctic terns, ads., juvs. and chicks and bits of a common gull.
Was allowed a three hour respite from the kids today - decided to re-visit a few birds I have encountered during my 'day job' and enjoy them at a slightly more leisurely pace - birds include; oystercatcher, summer sanderlings, ringed plover, arctic terns, ads., juvs. and chicks and bits of a common gull.
Attachments
