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Matt's watercolors (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter mattybohan
- Start date
Really cool to get an insight into your technique for this. I love the image you've chosen and the finished product is superb - great work and thank you for sharing. I guess prey and predator alike are just as interesting!
phil baber
Clipped Wing
Macrotastic Magnificence Matt!
mattybohan
Well-known member
phil baber
Clipped Wing
You are SUPERB!
mattybohan
Well-known member
phil baber
Clipped Wing
Very nice Matty!
JTMB
Well-known member
Excellent work, Matty! Since you are into dragonflies, do you perchance know of Dr. Dennis Paulson? He is a professor emeritus of the U. of Washington, retired curator of a couple of natural history museums here in the Pacific NW and an expert on both birds and dragonflies - including having named several species of dragonflies. He has authored at least one book on the subject. Also, he was the primary instructor for the intensive one-year master birder program that I went through a couple years of go. A truly amazing fellow, and an outstanding teacher. He also has authored a book on shorebirds. The Shorebird book is - Paulson, Dennis. Shorebirds of North American, The Photographic Guide. Princeton and Oxford, Princeton University Press. Published 2005. His dragonfly book I do not have.
mattybohan
Well-known member
Thanks everyone!
John, I have seen Dr. Paulson's Shorebird book, but was unaware of the dragonfly connection! Sounds like you had an amazing opportunity to study with him.
A great teacher like that can be a huge inspiration.
Being in the midwest, I wasn't familiar with his Western dragonfly guide. I mostly am using a dragonfly guide from Wisconsin, Michigan doesn't have a good guide. Unfortunately Wisconsin's guide doesn't have any damselflies...which is fair I suppose. There are so many incredible bird books, but few on dragonflies.
John, I have seen Dr. Paulson's Shorebird book, but was unaware of the dragonfly connection! Sounds like you had an amazing opportunity to study with him.
A great teacher like that can be a huge inspiration.
Being in the midwest, I wasn't familiar with his Western dragonfly guide. I mostly am using a dragonfly guide from Wisconsin, Michigan doesn't have a good guide. Unfortunately Wisconsin's guide doesn't have any damselflies...which is fair I suppose. There are so many incredible bird books, but few on dragonflies.
Woody
Well-known member
An opportunity for someone with a talent for painting dragons and damsels...Hmmm, let's think...Who can we think of?...
Mike
nickderry
C'est pas ma faute, je suis anglais.
I'm thinking the same thing!
mattybohan
Well-known member
Ha, now that would be a fun project to work on.
I wonder how the idea would sell. The book industry is having tough times...who isn't though? For now it is fun to be painting them without a strict goal in mind.
I wonder how the idea would sell. The book industry is having tough times...who isn't though? For now it is fun to be painting them without a strict goal in mind.
solitaryVSong
Well-known member
Oddly enough I was just thinking of buying a book on dragonflies and damselflies about a month ago. But I couldn't find one that seemed like I would be happy with. One had good recommendations except that the photos were too small. Some were for just one small area. Others didn't include damselflies, etc. So at least from what I've read there is some interest in such a project.
In the meantime just continue having fun painting them without a goal!
mattybohan
Well-known member
I think part of the problem with the Dragonfly/Damselflies is that to really identify many of them you have to catch them and have a loupe to check for varies tiny features. On top of that is the sheer volume of the individual species. I think that is why the books tend to split off the dragons from the damsels.
That being said, the small Stokes guide is actually quite good and not overly pricey. The photos are on the small side, but at the same time they make it simple to ID them to species in some cases, and groups in others, which is really all you typically want... unless you are the guy with the a huge butterfly net, lightning fast reflexes and loupe at the ready. I think the folks most interested in that are bringing them home dead in a jar to ID, which would kind of kill the magic of the moment. It would make them considerably easier to draw though! The birds make life much easier for us as far as identification... and they seem to have a better public relations team.
That being said, the small Stokes guide is actually quite good and not overly pricey. The photos are on the small side, but at the same time they make it simple to ID them to species in some cases, and groups in others, which is really all you typically want... unless you are the guy with the a huge butterfly net, lightning fast reflexes and loupe at the ready. I think the folks most interested in that are bringing them home dead in a jar to ID, which would kind of kill the magic of the moment. It would make them considerably easier to draw though! The birds make life much easier for us as far as identification... and they seem to have a better public relations team.
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