From Woody's 2007 sketchbook (1 Viewer)

Woody · Mar 22, 2007

Well I found one easy enough but it was feeding, not singing. Consequently it was flitting about, in and out of the brambles/hawthorn so I couldn't get any real good views.

I've used a resource I know of called 'Birdforum gallery' and it seems that Tim's mostly right, the wren's super seems to start above and just behind the eye. However it seems to me that it continues in front of the eye but because it matches the colour of the area directly in front of the eye and the cheek it merges and mostly dissappears, if anyone can make any sense of that statement.

Either way it's going to be a challenge to get it convincingly painted so I cant wait to get started. I'll probably post a progress report soon.

Meantime I took my new watercolours out today and used them to capture something I'd not seen before. Two drake mallards were resting with their heads tucked over their backs. When they were totally relaxed their eyes closed and it appeared that their eyelids were a bright yellow. I'd not noticed before, probably because usually, to my shame, I mostly ignore mallards. I was also fascinated by the way that as the light shifted slightly one of the drakes' heads stayed lit up in fabulous shades of green, blue and purple and the other turned a deep purple/black. Amazing what having some colour capabilities in your hand does for your observation!

Woody

ARTHUR BISHOP · Mar 22, 2007

like the drakes, luck with the wren

Woody · Apr 2, 2007

Elmley and garden

Got out as usual on Sunday morning and after a short detour to Oare in search of barn owls, it was back to Elmley.

The sky was a flat, unencouraging grey and the morning didn't look too promising. The wind at Elmley can be a real factor because there's nothing to stop it gathering pace over the marsh, and Sunday morning was pretty breezy to say the least. The strong blasts saw most of the small birds keeping their heads down and most of the waders faced into the wind and braced their legs. A group of three egrets were interesting for their attitudes. Two of the three hunkered down into the wind, parallel with the ground while the marsh grass bent and whipped around them. The third egret, in defiance of the wind, stood facing the other way as the wind did its best to remove the ergret's breast feathers. It's much easier to sketch egrets when they stand still though!

Eventually, when the wind dropped and the sun came out, the marsh came alive with redshank, darting about and oystercatchers wandered around feeding or resting very much in pairs.

When I returned home I settled with a coffee and a couple of Bourbon biscuits in the conservatory where I spent some time sketching the sparrows in the garden. They do tend to monopolise the feeders but I forgive them just because they provide me with so much entertainment. After that I got some more done on my wren painting through to lunch and a lazy afternoon. All in all a pretty good day!

Woody

nickderry · Apr 2, 2007

I'm particularly fond of the sparrow round the back of the feeder who looks like he's about to jump on the other one and steal his seed!. I've only just come across your wren from earlier, there's a lot of strength in that tiny bird, great expression!

ARTHUR BISHOP · Apr 2, 2007

I like the egrets hunched out of the wind

timwootton · Apr 2, 2007

Another fine group of drawings - this time showing a really sensitive use of line on the egrets and oik - very good.

Woody · Apr 10, 2007

Easter weekend

Facing the prospect of an easter weekend demolishing an old shed as organised by 'The foreman', I took my daughter and got out to Elmley early on friday. Wonderful clear spring sunshine made a bright start and despite the dissapointment of not seeing the local barn owl I knew it would be a pleasant couple of hours showing Beth Elmley for the first time. Redshanks were everywhere, all of them 'making baby redshanks' as my daughter put it. A couple of little egrets flew past, shimmering in the sun like something from a washing powder ad. They were the first 'new' birds of the day for Beth.

The birds of the day though were the ringed plovers which always seem to be remarkably close the the road at this time of year. In fact, one pair have made a nest on the road! We drove past without seeing until the female got off the nest and exposed her eggs. (The wardens have placed boulders either side now so that the nest wont be crushed). Beth couldn't resist the cute factor of the rp's and niether could I!
We saw grey partridge, corn bunting and a distant marsh harrier, so Beth was able to add to her list. (She's worse than me, what am I creating!)

Woody

Woody · Apr 10, 2007

Easter weekend part deux

The sunshine meant that removing the shed was no where near as unpleasant as it could have been, still bl**dy hard work though! So for more R+R, Sunday morning saw me and AndrewH up at the Hucking estate where we spent time just taking in all the various sights and sounds of spring. I stalked a wren and watched chiffchaffs chasing each other through the trees. The strong smell of fox hit me at one point almost like a physical slap and I tried to see the culprit without any luck. The fields were full of spring lambs, Ahh!

Monday it was back to Elmley for me. A very early start meant that I could get out to a couple of the hides for a change and the walk was rewarded with good numbers of avocet looking graceful in the sun. Out came the watercolours and I tried to capture the avocets in as few lines as possible.

I spent most of the rest of the day painting a landscape (with a pheasant) as a bit of an escape fom my detailed wren painting. All in all a great weekend.

Woody

nickderry · Apr 10, 2007

A productive couple of days, what is it about avocets that makes them the pick of the crop when it comes to sketching? (daft question I know!) Great sketches.

timwootton · Apr 10, 2007

You obviously had an extremely fruitful weekend, Woody - combined with the pleasure of seeing one's offspring discovering things for the first time is a truly rewarding time. Shed demolition apart, your storytelling made me wish I could share in the experiance of watching RPs and avocets going about their springtime doings - and all this in the sunshine!!!! - We haven't seen the sun for nearly a week and it's getting to be a real drag, especially knowing the rest of the UK is having a lovely spring. Ah well - could be worse, I suppose.
The drawings are a real celebration of this time - I adore the resting avocets - strangely reminiscent of Tunnicliffe, I feel (and I can make no greater compliment).

ARTHUR BISHOP · Apr 10, 2007

lovely sketches Woody

peter mathios · Apr 26, 2007

Beautiful pair of avocets! I also like your house sparrow sketches alot.

Woody · Aug 6, 2007

Thought I might ressurect this old thread with a couple of sketches from the weekend.

The sun was shining on Sunday! Most of the activity on the scrape seemed to be on the furthest bank and the strong sun actually made things pretty difficult through the scope. I managed a fairly quick sketch of a group of three snipe with a dunlin in attendance before I felt that the sun was going to remove my retinas. The hay harvest has been baled, much to the delight of the local kestrels, I spotted five in one field, all sitting patiently atop the fresh hay bales, perfect hunting perches from which to hunt the small furry population disturbed by the cutting. Actually saw a perched hobby too but he/she disappeared before any sketching could start. Some of the rest of the day, before the compulsory barbeque, was spent sketching the garden's spuggie population. Two weeks left until my holiday in Norfolk!

Woody

Mouldy · Aug 6, 2007

Good to see one of the 'old masters' back in sketch mode, and a masterclass in capturing jizz with those spuggies, excellent.

birdpotter · Aug 6, 2007

Really nice postures/positions on the feeder birds, Woody.

Woody · Aug 6, 2007

Thanks both, you gotta love spuggies!

Woody

timwootton · Aug 6, 2007

Just gets better and better, Woody - the colourwork is highly successful - top class piece of work. Love it.

nickderry · Aug 6, 2007

you've loosened up a lot with the snipe and dunlin, and it's a great success. I love it!

Andrew Ellis · Aug 6, 2007

Woody, love the Snipe and Dunlin, now I want to paint snipe! right off to
the estuary tommorow. Or should I go to the moor. No

I remember I've got to stay in all day AGAIN!!!! TO WAIT FOR
A COMPUTER DELIVERY ARHH!!!. sorry going a little studio
crazy at the mo . want to get out sooo.... badly!

Woody · Aug 15, 2007

Couple of bits from sunday.

The scrape in front of the wellmarsh hide is full of activity at the moment, unfortunately most of it is just about as far from the hide as it can be!
A group of snipe were preening, sleeping, and picking little fights with passing dunlin and starlings and I can't resist snipe, no matter how far away they are so I jotted down some gesture sketches. At one point a peregrine flew over and briefly upset the avocets and godwits. Beautiful birds and always a joy to see.
A move to the further hide saw a virtually empty looking scrape but after a while a coupe of common sandpipers turned up and fed fairly close by so it was a good chance to have a crack at a bird I'm not overly familiar with.
Finally juvenile starlings are everywhere right now and I love their angular shapes.

I'm off to Norfolk for a week on a farm next week so hopefully I can find plenty of sketching opportunities. I'll see what I can come up with and scan and post them in a couple of weeks.

Woody

From Woody's 2007 sketchbook (1 Viewer)

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

C'est pas ma faute, je suis anglais.

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

C'est pas ma faute, je suis anglais.

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

skywatcher, dragonhunter

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

C'est pas ma faute, je suis anglais.

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Similar threads

Users who are viewing this thread