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Recent sketches (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter RussB
- Start date
phil baber
Clipped Wing
Had a chance, finally, to study all Russ.
Simply overwhelmed with the artistry in sketch-capture of all. Truly inspiring to me. So honest and possessing such truthful skills! Like always!:t:B
There is a case for where do you lose your forte...the line-strength in the sketches, when adapted to illustrations? This is difficult, because it is personal to you, yourself.
Your strength is in the "bold-capture strokes/lines" that you do with such enviable alacrity.
My advice is to f*ck a desire to change, to "fit in" with what you think might be expected of you. And add washes to "traces" or "light-box tracings" of your visceral original sketches.
DO NOT use your original field sketches for this experiment!
Do NOT feel pressure. Because it will come to you in the end. And then you will know it in your heart!
You will get to a happy compromise in the end.
In the meantime, I had to work out of my box today. The result was for a b+w illo. I used black as a varying wash on pencil sketchings. Then added embellishments with crayon/wcp. Not happy, and still learning still. But the Avon Bird Report has filled a half page on a Severn Wader paper...
Simply overwhelmed with the artistry in sketch-capture of all. Truly inspiring to me. So honest and possessing such truthful skills! Like always!:t:B
There is a case for where do you lose your forte...the line-strength in the sketches, when adapted to illustrations? This is difficult, because it is personal to you, yourself.
Your strength is in the "bold-capture strokes/lines" that you do with such enviable alacrity.
My advice is to f*ck a desire to change, to "fit in" with what you think might be expected of you. And add washes to "traces" or "light-box tracings" of your visceral original sketches.
DO NOT use your original field sketches for this experiment!
Do NOT feel pressure. Because it will come to you in the end. And then you will know it in your heart!
You will get to a happy compromise in the end.
In the meantime, I had to work out of my box today. The result was for a b+w illo. I used black as a varying wash on pencil sketchings. Then added embellishments with crayon/wcp. Not happy, and still learning still. But the Avon Bird Report has filled a half page on a Severn Wader paper...
Attachments
timwootton
Well-known member
Good advice and great work, Phil.
Strandman
Well-known member
thirded: sploosh da sketch
if necessary, photocopy an original and stick it onto a bit of board - I've been playing around with ultra wet paint puddled on canvas board lately, so that way there's none of that ?do I need to stretch it first? will it cockle? malarkey
solitaryVSong
Well-known member
Go back and forth as it suits you. My experience, which tends more towards the fast and loose, is that sometimes you feel like you've gotten adrift and need to slow down and really work to get down what you see in all its detail. But I can't stand that for long so I go back to fast and loose, but now informed by a little bit more experience with detail. Personally I really find this the best way to work.
But whatever the method these works are really improving. I think that all your hard work has paid off and now it's showing up in more fluid and lively works. 'Don't worry, just sketch' to quote another tee-shirt.
RussB
Going for Gold
Many thanks for your comments re the illustrations, people. I'm currently in the process of messing around with photocopies of some of these b and w's with the view of giving them the felt tip treatment. It seems, once again, that it is very easy to overdo things. It's strange how the added line in TW's 'Sharpie.... ' thread does not in any way, shape or form diminish the work but simply gives it another quality.
Back to what I usually do. Oh, the diversity of the art forum! To go with lovely exotics masterly illustrated in beautiful colour here's something completely different - coots and lesser black-back gulls! What finer creatures on God's earth are more suited to the humble pencil?
With things picking up on the migration front I promise more 'interesting' fare very soon but you'll have to make do with these for the time being.
Lbbg's have bred at Old Moor for the first time so this pair were very accommodating, and have recieved the 'Lars' treatment on several occassions - by this I mean big and well, erm....
Back to what I usually do. Oh, the diversity of the art forum! To go with lovely exotics masterly illustrated in beautiful colour here's something completely different - coots and lesser black-back gulls! What finer creatures on God's earth are more suited to the humble pencil?
With things picking up on the migration front I promise more 'interesting' fare very soon but you'll have to make do with these for the time being.
Lbbg's have bred at Old Moor for the first time so this pair were very accommodating, and have recieved the 'Lars' treatment on several occassions - by this I mean big and well, erm....
Attachments
RussB
Going for Gold
Lbbg's - still giving me the same old problems with eye/bill placement and head shape and still the reason I keep going back to them....
Your comments are, as ever, wholly appreciated
Russ
Your comments are, as ever, wholly appreciated
Russ
Attachments
timwootton
Well-known member
These lesser-backs make a fine collection, Russ - and the leg-picking coot is a beautiful piece of behavioural observation.
solitaryVSong
Well-known member
Have to agree with John and Tim. If there's anything amiss with the LBBGs it's news to me. And that preening coot is a treat.
phil baber
Clipped Wing
These latest sketches are simply astonishing Russ!
Forget trying to move on to colour or wash work? Your strength lies here. It is what you are comfortable with, and it is what everyone loves you for.
So, why change what you truly are?
Remain as you are... A Great Sketcher of Birds!
Simply Russ-Tastic!!!!:t:Bo
Forget trying to move on to colour or wash work? Your strength lies here. It is what you are comfortable with, and it is what everyone loves you for.
So, why change what you truly are?
Remain as you are... A Great Sketcher of Birds!
Simply Russ-Tastic!!!!:t:B
o
RussB
Going for Gold
Many thanks, guys. Phil, your comments are most inspiring although I'm rather embarrased by them, mate!
Sketches of an adult dunlin which graced my local res. a few weeks ago. I'm currently concentrating on waders and striving to keep things loose and not over analyse things. For the life of me I still struggle with leg placement, and the longer and quicker moving the bird more difficult it is! I now often resort to sticking them on from memory or guessing, but often this takes something away from the sketch. Im curently seeing waders in a new light, courtesy of Juan Varela's, which have very recently left me aghast!
Sketches of an adult dunlin which graced my local res. a few weeks ago. I'm currently concentrating on waders and striving to keep things loose and not over analyse things. For the life of me I still struggle with leg placement, and the longer and quicker moving the bird more difficult it is! I now often resort to sticking them on from memory or guessing, but often this takes something away from the sketch. Im curently seeing waders in a new light, courtesy of Juan Varela's, which have very recently left me aghast!
Attachments
RussB
Going for Gold
Five more b and w's for illustrations: Ring-necked Duck, Lapwing, Grey Wag, Lesser Black-back Gull and Grey Heron. I'm fairly pleased with some of the tonal work but the vegetation under the gull is sxxxte! I still approach this kind of work with trepidation, though It's taken me nearly three weeks to do just these five. I need to get my finger out and splash around a lot more.
Cheers
Russ
Cheers
Russ
Attachments
mcw
Active member
These are really animated sketches which capture the character and movement of the bird. I'd suggest you avoid adding legs just to make a more complete picture - be happy with the purer image just showing what you were able to observe and record, and it becomes a reliable reference. It's good to treat field sketching just as an info-gathering and learning exercise, and often one can only capture incomplete elements of the subject - a head, a belly with leg positions, an unusual stance, etc. But these all add to familiarity with the subject and can feed into more complete studies. But for those more difficult wader legs: Plan A - wait until they're asleep, or Plan B - lose them behind stalks of foreground vegetation.
Mike
www.michaelcwood.co.uk
timwootton
Well-known member
Sage advice, Mike; espcially the standing them behind vegetation (up to their bellies in water is my preferred composition).
These are great Russ - full of originality and of-the-moment. Illustrations are coming along a treat.
These are great Russ - full of originality and of-the-moment. Illustrations are coming along a treat.
solitaryVSong
Well-known member
I heard that Tim just does them from the bus now. No need to even get out and go stand in the field.
I think these are great Russ. I remember how I struggle with Dunlin everytime I'm lucky enough to be in a place with shorebirds. Everthing about them is just a little clunky, at least in my view. My guess is that the very fact that you know you're uncomfortable with the legs means that you'll start paying more attention to them. It's amazing how much there is to drawing a simple little bird, isn't it!
You're well on your way though. They keep getting better and better.
