Wings Over Winecountry, Colleen's place (1 Viewer)

I've been at this painting thing for 40 years, only in acrylic, and all abstract. So that counts for something, thankgod. Realism takes a whole new set of skills, and now with a whole new world of birds, there is a lot to learn, I'm trying this time to let the learning evolve from the doing, to let the painting teach me, instead of running off to a class or doing it in the "style" of....This is a rare opportunity, to be a beginner, I'm frustrated sometimes, but I'm so happy there is something new to awaken new inspiration. There is so much I want to do but can't yet. Of course I'm influenced by some of the fine work here, but I know that it represents years of work and knowledge I don't have. It's OK , I'll get there, I'm already way beyond where I would be because of what I've learned from this group.

colleenc said:

Realism takes a whole new set of skills

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Some of us just don't have the patience for all that jazz!

Absolutely love the brants - especially the one displaying. Great stuff all round.

you never know Deborah, I said exactly those words myself once:king:

The first time I saw grebes in the bay, I thought they were fisherman's
bouys:-O wasn't till the next trip I realized they were birds....then I had a heck of a time trying to figure out how they did that, until my bird guide said they rest bill forward...I drew that shape so many times, and still didn't get it. So I painted 4 studies to get it out of my system, and now I think I understand.

Here is the Grebe set, in order of completion, field studies( mine are so messy compared to others here) pastel 6x9, watercolor 7x8, (you can see my abstract influence here) and the oil 4 views 8x10. In the watercolor the bird was preening it's belly, so the foot was extended to balance but it' just pure form here. They are so funny, and have a line of algae where they float...I put in the brown stain it makes...

These are superb Colleen - beautiful work.

Brilliant watercolour of the rolling preen- very inspiring. Hopefully you will soon find some chunky loons to give the same treatment to...

Absolutely gorgeous - I especially like the middle grebe.

superb work, the light is terrific!

thanks Tim, hope you will feel free to comment on anything you think I can improve on or anything you think I'm missing in these sets.

Ed, putting brillilant on any of my watercolors is a strecth, maybe lucky would be better We still are not friends yet, wc and me, this one was a fight as I tried out a new sketchbook who's paper was pretty mushy when it got wet.

I'm going to tackle oystercatchers today.....I've never heard of loons around here, I'll check with my birder friends.

thanks for all the encouragement everyone!

Nick, I don't know of any Grenache around here, I'll look, but for oystercatchers, I think a nice Dehlinger chard will go nice, or you can pick from one of these http://www.dehlingerwinery.com/parkerreviews.htm

This winery is so exclusive you have to be on their subscription list to get any and have to buy 2 cases per year to stay on the list. Nothing open to the public for tasting. They make the kind of wines that produce euphoria on the first sip about 1/2 mile from my cottage.

Thought you all might like to see a shot of Bodega Head, where I spend a lot of time with the cormorants, and where I saw my first oystercatcher, through the scope of a birder there, who has become a mentor. My first sight in a scope was just electrifying, he had it focused so that the head nearly filled the field, that eye just did me in. I wonder why they are called "black" oystercatchers when they are really brown? There are more oc that live in a group in the nice calm bay where they have a much easier life than these two. My 3rd trip out I heard their call for the first time WoW! really loud, drowned out the surf noise and just about everything else.

The one in the shot is one of a pair that have built a second nest on this rock mightily exposed IMHO to the wind and ravens, who I suspect did in the first nest

After today I'm going to take a break, have a nasty case of bronchitis that is making life unproductive at the moment, maybe that's why I'm not quite happy
with these. A little something is missing the mark but I don't know what it is...maybe you all can see it.

Field sketch, pastel( wanted to do something tight), watercolor,(oh ugh this one really got away from me, I found out if you keep painting heavy over and over, it just ends up a mess and very dull) oil, pretty ho hum here, he needs a back ground, I always see them by rocks..

Lovely set of drawings and paintings Colleen. Last one especially is a great piece full of lively tension.

Hope you feel better soon.

:t:I thought your post seemed familiar! 100 birds, WetCanvas.

Good luck with the project.

Mike

Thanks Mike and Deborah, I'm backing off on these sets for a while, going to start studying flight, using stilts as my models.....

I just read the notes of the bird art show I've been invited to in Sept. and found one of the activities is the artists sharing sketch books...good thing I did the 100 project or I wouldn't have a sketch book! and thank god for Tim's work showing me how it could be done and all the artists here who do such beautiful work....I always threw my sketches away, but bird work is so different, each moment is something special that may not come again.

beautiful handling of 'black' here - very glad to hear that you no longer throw your sketches away - they're often more important than the finished piece!

I agree with Nick, lovely work here

The central oik portrait has a 'Chingness' about it, perhaps the colour? Nice work, keep it up.

I joined wc just so I could follow your 100 birds thread!

Mike

Woody said:

The central oik portrait has a 'Chingness' about it, perhaps the colour?. I joined wc just so I could follow your 100 birds thread!

Mike

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Mike you did that? well then you know how hard I worked, Tim has put some good things there for beginning bird artists, so it may be a good resource for some new artists like me.

Re the central one, sorry I put in the wrong order that one is pastel, and is more in the style of my current work, which the birds are in the midst of changing for me!
Nick, have been enjoying your site.....Thanks Arthur.....


BTW I am posting that info on the new products, a watercolor canvas that does not need glass and a watercolor stick from a well respected US paint maker Daniel Smith. coming up soon.

new product and trial of watercolor canvas

Fredricks has made a watercolor canvas for some time, it can be stretched on bars, or made into panels, or bought that way, or in a pad , here is a good link to explain it. www.taramaterials.com/assets/pdf/TipsTechniques.pdf
If you use the pad like I did, you must staple it down, not tape as I did, or it will cockle up. I had a hard time, but then I'm new to watercolor, but from the sample I painted you can see something, two pros, no glass needed for framing, can do big pieces. I did not find the subtle colors, I wanted worked as well as something more bold. I think paper is much better, but some of the acrylic painter may like it, I will try it again when I have a more contrasty piece .

On this not very good piece, I also used a new product I got at a vendor show yesterday. Daniel Smith Watercolor sticks below are some photos, here's a link http://www.danielsmith.com/Item--i-G-284-670

I really like these, they can look like crayon, crayon and wash, ink, or picked up on a wet brush they look exactly like regular water color. I also used them directly into other watercolor in my pan ( this is my travel set up) by cutting in half I have a set at home and one to travel) to alter or change mixtures, I just scribbled it into the puddle of mix. They would be great for a really light set up, just stick a few into your pocket with a brush and a 3oz bottle of water, and everything would be in one pocket. I bought them on sale so I got a good deal. Basically they are just the pigment and gum arabic, by having the sticks in my travel box I have a wider range of color, so I could include some less standard colors I like, like olive green, in the pans, the basics are covered with the sticks. Being so concentrated they are a good value.
DS product info

My experiments
from left down and then to the right side
dry stick , with wet brush over.
wet brush over stick then applied
applied to wet paper
applied to damp paper
dipped stick in water then applied
mixing ultra blue, and hansa yellow( below the mix)

my travel pan

the actual size of stick (4")

the watercolor canvas painting, the grainy sand part is the bt sienna stick dragged over the canvas, then brushed with water

went to visit the egret trees today, and got this shot, I think I know all the parts of the wing but would very much appreciate it if one of the experts here would take this shot and label the parts for me to check. I believe I can even see the bones in it, esp the elbow joint of the humerous and the lower radius and ulna, maybe the darker part is the muscle area. It was late afternoon so the sun was really shining through kinda like an xray....thanks so much....Colleen

For several days I've made page after page of drawings of the egrets( my next bird) and they are as you say over there rubbish....in fact the first ones weren't even that good:smoke:

why am I having so much trouble? is being white harder? got any suggestions for help?

Thanks

I'm working on flight too and not getting anywhere, but I'll keep trying...

sketchbook pages the best of the lot there is one Bl crowned night heron juve in there.