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Ed's thread (2 Viewers)

love the hobby, is he admiring his reflection in the wing mirror!? It's nice when the birds come and find you for a change.
 
Hello all. I thought I would share a current artistic dilemma since the forum is on such kindly and helpful form (not that it is ever anything but).

I heard overnight from the Nodmeister in South Korea and he is happy with the Nod, which now exists in a week 1 May and week 4 May plumage and can be mouse-click moulted from one to the other.

But he has rightly queried the backdrop/background..

Choices are-

1. Turn it into some real crabby wormy mud (Nodmeister's preference, but would take a bit of work to execute and feet would have to disappear)

OR

2. Stick with a coloured backdrop, but choose a new colour so it is less ambiguous whether it is backdrop or real mud (something from Dave B's pallette of zingy background colours possibly) Logically the shadow would have to go, if colour is to be a true backdrop, which seems a shame.

OR

3. Stick the bird onto a stylised map, like last year's Spoonie (which I don't like as a pic of the bird, but do like as a design)

Views from all or any welcome though I can't promise in advance to go with the majority view!
 

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Hi Ed,

personally, as this is an information piece rather than a 'real' picture, I think I would go with the map. It just gives a nice graphic feel to the whole thing leaving it uncluttered for the plumage detail (which is brilliant by the way) to take centre stage.

Woody
 
Hi Ed,

personally, as this is an information piece rather than a 'real' picture, I think I would go with the map. It just gives a nice graphic feel to the whole thing leaving it uncluttered for the plumage detail (which is brilliant by the way) to take centre stage.

Woody

Have you thought about bringing some water in? Seems that has the flexibility to be stylized or 'realistic', and almost infinite potential for colour. Of course, the feet may have to go (unless the water is clear, but that gets quite tricky!), but then, I rarely see NGs on the deck out of water.

The map idea is good too, except that you've already done one for the same 'client'!
 
I really like the composition sketch for these shanks, would have been proud to have done it myself, as for digipainting, to me it's a valid art form (as is photography btw - as long as there's a passion in it, there's an art), using a laptop without a mouse like a right hander, whereas I'm left-handed, this is the best I can do with paint!

nickderry:

The image on the left of the black bird on the limb against the blue sky--reminded me of an audacious crow from my outing last weekend here in Kentucky.

Thanks for sharing your work.

--Bob
Kentucky, USA
 
Hi Ed,

personally, as this is an information piece rather than a 'real' picture, I think I would go with the map. It just gives a nice graphic feel to the whole thing leaving it uncluttered for the plumage detail (which is brilliant by the way) to take centre stage.

Woody

Map it is - result attched and thanks for the nudge.

I followed Dave B's alternative line of thought and gave them some stylised water with Scaly-s Merg in 2005- which as it happens was my first effort at scanning a drawing and finishing it on the computah. I've passed a lot of water since then. Next year's cover I suspect will be a third outing for the map, with Great Knot, but we shall see.

It has been a real bitter-sweet evening on Asian waders tonight- I had a few moments supervising feeding of kids but sneakily browsing James McCallum's bookful of wonderful wonderful Spoon-billed Sand etc sketches from the 2002 Chukotka survey, then got an e-mail with early reports that based on 2007 survey, Spoonies seem to be down to <100 breeding pairs now from the previously shocking <350 estimate. Time for a drink I think...
 

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I'm not particularly a 'graphics' orientated person, but these are really superb - Very sad about decline in Spoonbilled Sands - heard it was a desperate shortage of food, but perhaps it's loss of habitat too?
 
great to see the shank in its completeness, I think you chose the right background, I like especially the shadow making the map a part of the bird. Certainly disturbing about the spoonies, something I dream of seeing.
 
got an e-mail with early reports that based on 2007 survey, Spoonies seem to be down to <100 breeding pairs now from the previously shocking <350 estimate. Time for a drink I think...

That's truly awful. Is there any quotable reference yet available?

Dave
 
The graphic is excellent - a super bird brilliantly rendered and strong use of positive shapes - just the ticket. Also - very bad about the spoonies - I presume a cause is apparent? And on the back of that unfortunate statistic - I have just noticed that your nodshank has something of a whistful, contemplative 'expression' on its face, a subtle reminder/warning that these birds may also be heading the same way? Was that always there or has it been tweaked - very subtle and very poignant.
Great work Ed - and worth all your effort.
 
I'm not particularly a 'graphics' orientated person, but these are really superb - Very sad about decline in Spoonbilled Sands - heard it was a desperate shortage of food, but perhaps it's loss of habitat too?

Deborah- I'm glad you like them - the challenge with thsi "graphics" stuff is that it can be rather soulless, with no real engagement with the bird. Hopefully I've avoided that here.

Dave B- No officially published account of 06/07 survey work that I have seen, but some notes on birdsKorea

http://www.birdskorea.org/aug07update.asp

Nick D and other wader buffs- If you fancy a count- n- sketch with remnant Spoonie sprinkled in, we will be on the Guem again next April/May and should have funding for counters.

[While on waders, one of the McCallum pics was a true killer- tiny ice covered pool in Chukotka early June with 3 Red-necked Stints, 1 Little Stint, 1 Spoon-billed Sand and 1 Western Sanpiper all in summ plum.- now wouldn't that be nice?]

Tim- Spoonie causal factors actually not that well understood and me not expert, but from what I have read and heard seems in particular to be very poor winter survival especially of young birds (very few of the recently leg-flagged birds have returned). That is assumed to be due to galloping habitat loss/impoverishment but could also be that they are wintering somewhere unknown with heavy netting etc..

Some of the adults are known to be more than 15 years old-great that they are long-lived, but chilling becuase of course it means that a population crash can be masked until the adults start to peg out.

As for the Nod's eye: well spotted Sir- it did indeed get tweaked, so it is slightly smaller and less staring.
 
Tim- Spoonie causal factors actually not that well understood and me not expert, but from what I have read and heard seems in particular to be very poor winter survival especially of young birds (very few of the recently leg-flagged birds have returned). That is assumed to be due to galloping habitat loss/impoverishment but could also be that they are wintering somewhere unknown with heavy netting etc..
.

Back in 1990 I was part of a survey of the islands in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh. These islands are formed by silt coming out of the Brahmaputra River, and are somewhat mobile.

During that survey, we found a total of 257 Spoon-billed Sands, in two monospecific flocks - 55 and 202, on the same 'island', which was really just a mudflat, no vegetation of any kind.

I don't know how much attention has been paid to this area since. I know Mark Barter went subsequently and saw 100, but as far as I know a more recent survey didn't cover this area at all. Puzzling if so.

Dave
 
Hello all- just to blow some dust of this thread. I had ten minutes between errands yesterday afternoon and spent them with a Green Woodpecker on a weedy rabbit warren in absolutley zinging light. Have tried to capture one thing- bill was almost invisible in the light, but casting a really strong elongated dagger shadow across the bird's back.
 

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The actual under-drawing is superb (the structure of the bird's head, so subtlely rendered) and the use of complementary colour in the shadows is extremely effective. Your suggestion of the quality of light rings true - all in all a super little piece. Actually this would make a fabulous canvas ( ;) ). Got much time before your next trawl down to the Emirates Stadium? - Going great guns ('scuse the pun) aren't you!
 
this is just fantastic, a moment seen that cannot be produced from imagination, the true essence in my opinion of this strange hobby of drawing birds we pursue. (beer making me poetic again)
 
I should probably quit whilst the going is good based on the last couple of comments- thanks gents! Managed to nip down to the river for half an hour this morning and tide was well out- so godwits and golden plover were very distant but happily there was a greenshank prancing about nearer at hand.
 

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Definitely no quitting while the output is this good, such a daring use of (I assume it's half your lunch with assorted pens again). You've made a great picture out of practically nothing. How many other artists would ignore such a scene?
 
Tremendous. The arse-on greenshank is superbly seen, and as Nick points out, so easily by-passed. Keep it up - as the Actress said . . .. ..oh you know the rest!
 
Definitely no quitting while the output is this good, such a daring use of (I assume it's half your lunch with assorted pens again).

Thanks for that- after a year or so of grabbing anything just as means of getting drawing again, I'm nudging the materials in a more conventional direction- so biro has been replaced by pencil and I'm using some water colour pencils. But I'm wary of picking up brushes again as there's too much temptation to start painting exactly to the drawn lines and generally getting cramped up and careful.
 
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