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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Sketch (1 Viewer)

The woodies are a super piece of work, just goes to prove that if you look without seeing then you'll miss a great deal of beauty.

Mike
 
Here's my latest painting. Woodpigeons aren't a subject I'd usually find inspiring, but I happened to look out of the studio window to see these two in a nearby cherry tree. The light was filtering through the branches and I just loved the mix of colour and shadows. I've tried to keep a loose feel to it but someone has already made the "it looks just like a photograph" comment.

I've posted a step-by-step guide on my blog for anyone who wants to see how it evolved.

Great combination of bird and background, color, design, light and brushwork. It all adds up to a striking painting. And I do think you've kept that sense of filtered light which can be such an inspiration to paint.
 
Love the woodpigeons Jackie....:t:

I know they are common and a pest but that never detracts me from their beauty when observed closely.....[and you have painted them wonderfully]....!
 
when you look at woodpigeons, they suddenly become the most inspiring things, colourful, big and full of character. This is a beautiful piece of work, so very well executed.
 
I'm back from an extended BirdForum holiday, though sadly I didn't go anywhere so it wasn't a real holiday. Many thanks to everyone for the kind comments about the woodpigeon painting since my last post.

I'm marking my return with this acrylic of a grey wagtail. I wanted to use the angular pose of the bird to mimic the ripples in the water and link to the zigzag rhythm of the overall composition.

More details and influences on my blog:
http://garnerwildlifeart.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/my-wildlife-art/
 

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Welcome back Jackie!

Nice little comp here. The "Z" makes your eyes flitter about.

Expecting a Dipper to fly downstream at any moment!
 
lovely pic, just like how you see grey waggies, they're a species that could fit into millions of pictures.
 
Only just seen the wood pigeons and no, they are decidedly NOT "just like a photograph"! They are much better.

Apologies for replying to something you posted over a month ago.

Mike
 
Wonderful piece, Jackie! Having spent many hours since an early age walking and fishing along small (and later big) streams, I really identify with the subtleties of the water, rocks and aquatic life there as well. When I saw this picture, my first reaction was to find the telltale subtle rise of a trout sipping an insect off the surface. The bird is a wonderful focal point for the tableau you've created here.
 
Superbly done, Jackie! The ripples of the water are stunningly life-like, and those rocks break it up just as you'd see it out on a crisp autumn day. Obligatory Grey Wag finishes it off perfectly. Lovely.

Russ
 
Thanks for the comments about the Grey Wagtail pic everyone. I repainted the water several times, so it's a relief you find it convincing. Love the idea of a dipper flying downstream Phil, especially as I keep "dipping out" on dippers. (Sorry, pun intended.)
 
The water is not only convincing but it flows beautifully across the picture gently leading the way to the sugared almond waggie. Wonderful.

Mike
 
After an extended Bird Forum holiday - can't believe it's over a year since I posted anything - I'm back.

I hope this doesn't duplicate anyone else's post, though it's worth repeating if it does, but Katrina van Grouw's book The Unfeathered Bird has now been completed. All being well, it is due for publication in time for Bird Fair 2012.

A quick recap for those who haven't heard of it: this is a book on bird anatomy. Katrina, a Royal College of Art graduate and bird obsessive, has been drawing bird skeletons and muscle structure in appropriate postures e.g. a gannet diving. It promises to be an indispensable resource for all bird artists, and I can't wait to see it published.

I've shown the attached image of a rook skeleton here before but, as that was rather a long time ago, here it is to whet your appetites again.
 

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Glad to read Bigshent's thread and to see that I'm not the only one to have been away from Bird Forum for aeons. Anyway, considered starting a new thread, but decided to resurrect this one, just so that all my stuff's in one place.

Had loads of things going on over the past year or so. Led a painting holiday to the Aigas Field Centre, wrote The Wildlife Artist's Handbook, had a demo of a painting of a curlew in Artist's & Illustrators magazine, exhibited at Bird Fair and with the National Exhibition Wildlife Art, was Artist in Residence at Nature in Art museum, did the cover illustration for the Birdwatchers Yearbook 2014, did some illustrations... so that's why I wasn't here.

Hoping to be back on Bird forum much more often in the future.

Here are the aforementioned Yearbook cover image and the curlew painting. Both acrylics on board.
 

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