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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EliS" data-source="post: 1198297" data-attributes="member: 65340">Thanks for the comments & welcomes! (Wow, what a long post, sorry about that. Feel free to skip straight to the scetches. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" />)At the moment I'm frustrated, because I can't get what I see with my minds eyes on paper. Yesterday I saw my very first Red knots, so it was quite annoying to be watching them (at pretty close range) and trying to scetch them and then not be able to produce even a reasonable scetch. Oh how I wished I could turn into Lars Jonsson or Killian Mullarney overnight and just have the talent of making lifelike field scetches... But I guess I'll just have to go the same way as the others - hard work and hours days years of practice. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" />Today I was listening to one of the best bird artists in Finland give a presentation. Wow, that was just wonderful, and Jari Kostet is such a talented artist! I learned a lot. I especially liked the tip of having many scetches going at the same time, so you can move from one scetch to another as the bird is turning around. This artist I was listening to was saying it's pretty much impossible to scetch with binoculars. Huh? It is complicated, but... I have been doing bino scetching for a week or so now, it's tough, but since it's the only way I can do my field scetches for the time being, then I shall do it that way. A good scope is totally out of my reach at the moment. I guess I'll just have to learn to look more intetly, and to learn to remember more from one glance.And then some scetches. The magpie I saw sitting atop a huge stone ball that lies in front of the university. It was tossing it's tail up and down, looking as if he were the king of the world. So I started scetching as soon as I got inside (spent the first half an hour or so of the "birdevening" scetching, the first presentation wasn't on drawing birds anyhow, so I managed to listen and scetch at the same time).The scetches of the mallard I did also this evening, though I witnessed the event while jogging this morning. I saw a female mallard and a hooded crow having a sort of a fight by a stream. Curious, I jogged closer. The crow flew of and I realised there was a ball of ducklings on the ground. The mother mallard took her children and started swimming of along the stream, finally settling on the bank and taking her babies under her wings. I think I spent an hour or so, watching for them (had to chase off the crow once more). The ducklings were really small, I think they must have just hatched.No, I'm not gonna post the Knots, they're a mess. But maybe I'll go and check on them tomorrow, maybe this time I'll have more of a clue on how to handle them on paper. I've gotten my frustration out now, writing here. Enough of ranting, time to get some sleep. Tomorrow is a new day with new scetces!</blockquote>

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