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

Starting from scratch- Dryslwyn's first sketchbook. (1 Viewer)

Thanks for your comments folks. I am enjoying working from my photos and am happyish with some of the work - I liked the sparrow!
One of the reasons I started this thread was to push myself and maybe encourage others with little experience to have a go.
Working from photos -yes. In the field still a no I'm afraid. Just can't do it -but I had a good day today enjoying not doing it.
Saw a lovely group of greenshank at Llanelli WWT and went out with some other members of the county bird group looking for terns this evening. We spotted about 70 sandwich terns on the Burry Inlet. In passage from N Wales breeding grounds I learned.
I am posting the best of a bad lot just to prove I am persevering and intend doing some paintings from todays experiences shortly. Cheers - the Leffe is going down nicely after all that fresh air todayB :)
 

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Wendy - these are just great. They are real studies from life and show that you are looking at what makes a bird make a certain shape. Very, very soon you will be combining your use of photographs, your naturally brilliant watercolour techniques and you honest fieldwork and producing some stupendous images. I for one, can't wait!
 
I'll second that! Sometimes though you just can't wait to get started on the final piece! Can't wait to see it done!
 
Wendy, I love the tern sketches especially - I'm beginning to find these quick gizz sketches so rewarding and love seeing other people's results - as Tim says, waiting with baited breath for a combination of your landscape/colour/and bird sketches in a painting - if the result is anything like your previous paintings ... you're like a steam train now LOL! Thanks for posting!
 
Wendy its the first time I've commented on your thread . Your water colours and drawings are tremendous . I would love to have your water colour technique. Looking forward to more.
 
I,ve always got an excuse for not doing any bird work - so a little kick up the you know what and I,ve done a couple of quick watercolour sketches on cartridge. Working from the screen these were some images from the other evening on a 'tern watch'. The birds were too far away to get any detail but I hope these show a little of the atmosphere of the evening.
The sandwich terns were among a group of gulls and oystercatchers. The terns were on passage from N.Wales. I was told the numbers so far are low compared to previous years and no sign of common or little terns that evening.
 

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ah Wendy, these are fantastic little w/c sketches! Right up my street - I knew once you started putting birds into your Landscape work, you'd be onto a winner - I'm jealous lol!!
 
I am working - but not as hard as I should be at the moment. Finding a new puppy a bit of a distraction - I'd forgotten what hard work they can be!
Is that a collective Ahhhhhhhhhh I can hear?
 

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dryslwyn said:
I am working - but not as hard as I should be at the moment. Finding a new puppy a bit of a distraction - I'd forgotten what hard work they can be!
Is that a collective Ahhhhhhhhhh I can hear?
Click to expand...

Ahhhhhhhhh, what's his/her name? He/she is a cutie!

I have a German Short-haired Pointer, which I bottle-raised from 4 days (his mother passed away). You're right, puppies are HARD, HARD work!:-O
 
Thought I'd have a go at a view from Skomer Island- Pembrokeshire. There are lots of puffins breeding there and we usually get a boat over about the end of May or June. The colours can be glorious in good weather with blue bells, sea campion,thrift. This is a watercolour which I will probably finish tomorrow- as the new arrival has tired me out!
 

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tim.birdboy said:
Ahhhhhhhhh, what's his/her name? He/she is a cutie!

I have a German Short-haired Pointer, which I bottle-raised from 4 days (his mother passed away). You're right, puppies are HARD, HARD work!:-O
Click to expand...

It's a he -9weeks old, a whippet and is just starting to answer to his name Dylan.
 
Finished- quite happy with it. Only a small picture 12x8". It was Tims work that inspired me to go back to doing some sea pictures. Perhaps I'll have a go at some Pembs stack rocks.
 

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excellent landscapes, good to see the various stages, and yes, definitely a big ahhhhhhhhh for the puppy, so cute!
 
On-Firecrest said:
i struggle when painting landscapes, have you got any tips?

Very good quality work you're producing dryslwyn
Click to expand...

Tips on landscape painting? Well I can only tell you what is important to me personally -the way I work - and that is to start with an 'underpainting' or a transparent wash in the approx colours that you are going to use- this is a sort of thinking stage and then to work around the picture not finishing any areas of it and not putting in many final tones or details/texture. These first stages I put in quite roughly and take some risks with the watercolour so that about three quarters the way through it looks quite a mess- but a controled mess if that makes sense. The last quarter is to look at the 'mess' and see what you can do to tighten it up, bring in the final tones and texture and detail. It is only in the very last stage you bring it all together to make the picture work. In the case of the Skomer picture it was to put in the puffins, the surf and finally the shadow of the cliff on the water. If you find it hasn't come together at the end then you put it in the bin and start something else! Happens quite alot|:D|
 
Feel a bit out of things here - all this work going on - I don't want my thread to vanish off the page so am posting a picture I am working on at the moment. It's really hard with alot of twigs and reflections to come and a bit of work on the mum (or Dads) head. I am using some photos I took a month or so ago that I really like. The light was good and I love the shape of moorhens- not to mention the babies. I am going to do one of three babies sitting on a log next.
Anyway may not have time to work on this til Monday so back to the top of the page - for a few minutes anyway;)
 

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