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a couple of birds (1 Viewer)

mosca

Well-known member
Hello everyone.
I've not posted here for a long, long, long time but have silently been watching some of your blogs and new posts. All have been very impressive. :t:
Some of you helped give me tips and advance when I started drawing birds, that was very much appreciated, so thank you.
Anyway here are a couple of fairly recent pictures I hope you like them and I hope the link works.
Tips and feedback always welcome :)
 

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Hello again Philip. These are absolutely terrific -do I detect an even softer approach to your work? particularly around the face of the goldfinch.
I know another graphite artist who'll enjoy looking at these!!!
 
Absolutely beautiful.

As you ask for tips and advice and I'm not qualified to give either, how about a request or a suggestion? I think that including some background, even a hint of one would make these even better.

Mike
 
very fine work, I would love to see these with more background, great as they are, adding that element of where they live creates something even stronger.
 
very nice pair of drawings,i particularly like the goldfinch as it has a bit more solidity and depth to it! i agree with nick that some sort of background would add a great deal to the images
regards
 
Lovely drawings mosca, particularly the goldfinch. I'll add my vote for a touch of background just to give a bit of context.

Mike
 
very fine work, I would love to see these with more background, great as they are, adding that element of where they live creates something even stronger.


Well said. The drawings are really striking but seem like they'd be even more so if they had an environment to live in (not that I can claim any skills in that department!).
 
Thanks again for the comments. :t:
I do like the simplicity of the birds standing on their own in the white space as I think it brings out the qualities rather than the limitations of using just pencil. As they are not in colour I was worried that they might be just too grey. Still there is only one to find out so when my current drawing if finished I will draw the bird in their natural habitat and see how it looks.

Anyway here is the Ring Ouzel I'm working on at the moment.
 

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very good pencil drawing,you obviously have the skills to create plenty of tones and so a background is the obvious next step.if it helps checkout the wildlife in graphite thread.
beat wishes
 
I'm chiming in as another for some background....at least a suggestion of some tones behind the bird. There are plenty of ways to keep the bird standing out besides just blank paper. Since you have given them a perch which is just arbitrarily stopped, you are on the way. It does not have to be detailed, but some tonal changes behind them will give you an opportunity to suggest the bird is round, and catching light, creating shadow( as in the two birds) and give the bird a space to live in, a hard edge ending abruptly against white will always suggest flatness, currently at odds with your beautiful realism. If the birds are to be reproduced on something, the hard edges will be great, if you want instead to have them complete as a work of art maybe it's time to reach beyond what you currently do so well.
 
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Thanks again for the comments. :t:
I do like the simplicity of the birds standing on their own in the white space as I think it brings out the qualities rather than the limitations of using just pencil. As they are not in colour I was worried that they might be just too grey. Still there is only one to find out so when my current drawing if finished I will draw the bird in their natural habitat and see how it looks.

Anyway here is the Ring Ouzel I'm working on at the moment.

Very strong drawing Mosca! I can understand your desire to have the bird stand out against the white paper. But my guess is that eventually, even if not with first couple drawings, you'll see how much a background even if very simplified can add. In any case I look forward to seeing your experiments with this.
 
Excellent work, particularly the goldfinch which is stunning. Like others, I think your drawings would be even more impressive with hints at least of suitable background.
 
Thanks very much everyone. :t:
The comments have been very helpful indeed. :)
I quite like the sterile detached look of the white background but if I want to get better at this type of pencil drawing then I really should look at it from all angles. If they don't work for me I can always go back. Also I would like to exhibit and sell them if I can and a background will probably be more popular.

Clive your site has been very helpful. If I can I might ask you a few questions on the materials you use?

I have now finished the Ring Ouzel picture. I will leave it without a background (as was originally intended) but the next will definitely include a background.
 

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