Ed's thread (10 Viewers)

[timwootton]

awesome! startlingly full of action - if you put sandpaper to this one we'll have to chop your hands off!

You heard the man!

 

[nickderry]

Posted my threats too late it seems! Very bad of you! Good job it paid off, the wider gap adds to the tension. Mind you, I'm one to talk, spent a whole week doing a mixed media collagey type thing on the huge canvases, then decided the composition wasn't up to much. Logical thinking led me to believe if I soaked the whole thing, I could just cut round the birds, peel them off, let them dry and stick them into a new composition - for birds that spend so much time in water, paintings of them become a hideous pile of pulp when too wet!

 

[Strandman]

Posted my threats too late it seems! Very bad of you! Good job it paid off, the wider gap adds to the tension. Mind you, I'm one to talk, spent a whole week doing a mixed media collagey type thing on the huge canvases, then decided the composition wasn't up to much. Logical thinking led me to believe if I soaked the whole thing, I could just cut round the birds, peel them off, let them dry and stick them into a new composition - for birds that spend so much time in water, paintings of them become a hideous pile of pulp when too wet!

Yup- your threat too late, although I had already been told quite firmly..main reason for overpainting the mid-range birds (in addition to them not being very good) was that I thought that they made it all less dynamic by spreading the area where there was action.

As for your problem with the magna canvas- next time the same dark thoughts assail you, is your collage thick enough to slide a flat bendy razor blade underneath the birds you want to remove?

I've got so used to revising stuff lately that I'm considering including a thick matt varnish layer before adding birds and detail, so I can sand or slice off the top layer more easily.

 

[nickderry]

lol, I thought the collage was thick enough! Not to worry, I just had to go back to the beginning and do most of it again. I think next time I do something similar, I'll collage the birds on separate bits of paper and then stick the whole bird onto the canvas rather than fiddling in situ.

 

[desgreene]

..main reason for overpainting the mid-range birds (in addition to them not being very good) was that I thought that they made it all less dynamic by spreading the area where there was action.

I see where you're coming from, and like the new version also. What struck me about the old version was the sense of chaos which came from all the birds scattering in slightly different directions.

 

[timwootton]

I see where you're coming from, and like the new version also. What struck me about the old version was the sense of chaos which came from all the birds scattering in slightly different directions.

Couldn't agree more - with both parts of your comment.
Love the new version.

 

[Strandman]

Hello all

Nice surprise this morning; catalogue from Wildlife Art Gallery with an Ennion on the front. Hopefully with that free advert they wouldn't mind me posting a snap so here it is- especially I love the "X"s whapped onto the base of its neck.

At risk of veering from sublime to ridiculous, here's current work in progress. Was to be a group of Stone Curlew from last weekend, but having cropped and sanded it to this point I'm now not sure whether to go for group in mid-ground as they were seen, or to put a couple in front. One thing for sure- I'm not going to try and paint in any rabbits.

 

[nickderry]

always great to see an Ennion, and I'm looking forward to seeing where you go with the stonies, it's already got a great hazy feel to it.

 

[timwootton]

Ennion and stone curlews - terrific start to a fab day. Great colours.

 

[Woody]

Wonderful heat soaked feel to the landscape which stands on its own even without birds, so when they get added it'll lift it even further. Looking forward to it.

Mike

 

[timwootton]

Actually looking back at this and I think I detect a subtle directional move - perhaps from the garganey piece or the white tailed eagles onwards? It's to be celebrated, that's fer sure.

 

[Strandman]

Actually looking back at this and I think I detect a subtle directional move - perhaps from the garganey piece or the white tailed eagles onwards? It's to be celebrated, that's fer sure.

It's been quite a little adventure since I started painting again at the back end of last year- for which gracious thanks to the forum.

No doubt that what I have always liked best is small birds in big backgrounds so I'm now at a bit of a fork in the road- is it to be rapid abstracty backgrounds with birds paintballed into them, or something with paint just a little more carefully placed.

Anyways I have some days to reflect, as it's digi-painting time of year again. A flock of Great Knot is required- currently they are cookie-cut and awaiting surgery on head feet neck legs.

 

[Strandman]

Quick one in passing- a golden wedding card required at 24 hours notice. So marker and highlighter pens, then colour cranked up on the computah.

 

[nickderry]

very classy!

 

[timwootton]

Clever Lad - said it before, I'll say it again - Clever Lad.

 

[EliS]

Marker and higlighter pens? You and Nick are truly inspirational in creative use of material around you! And such a delightful drawing!

Elina

 

[Andrew H]

marker pens, never thought of that....but looks good....

 

[Woody]

Wonderful graphic style Ed, have you ever done any work as a marker visualiser?

Mike

 

[Strandman]

Hello all. I've had to reluctantly pack away the bristlies for a few days to finish off the Great Knot for this year's Saemanguem campaign poster. If the rear birds look a bit nervy they should do- co-ordinated counts along the flyway show that world population has plunged by 20-30% in the 2 years since the wall was closed.

There's been a fair bit of digi-pragmatism employed here to get the job done in short time- so for example I only digi-painted one wing from scratch, then cloned, warped, rotated and desaturated it to generate the other three.

Now hopefully back to some painting

 

[timwootton]

Great Knot - great work (sorry I don't understand a word of your techno-explano, but it sounds clever!) and good luck with the campaign. Love the feathering away to b-ground behind the 'concerned' flying birds - really accentuates the design.