From the sketchbook... (2 Viewers)

[timwootton]

Got to agree - looking very good. Now, no pressure, but the field drawing you are working from is one of my all time favourites, so I'm looking forward to a cracking painting!!!!

 

[buzzard12]

Good morning all, been burning the late night oil, so to speak. Stayed up right through the night working on the paintings below. 8am now and time to get some sleep in front of a late shift tommorow...
Have managed to finish the Guillemot and think it is time to let it be. Rather chuffed with this one as it turned out. No picture ever turns out exactly as envisaged in ones mind, though this was a pleasure to paint and came easily enough. Attacked it with a pallette knife which helped to keep it loose and broke up some of the brushwork laid earlier. Canvas about 30x24 inches. This photo is not great, will post a better representation of the colours if I ever get some decent natural sunlight...
Palette knife was great fun to use, though did lead to some waiting while paint dried, which led to me starting a small canvas of a Great Grey Shrike, this one 18x12 inches in size. Really quickly trowelled the paint on. Will keep this loose to I think...

 

[timwootton]

Congratulations Alan - the guillemot has worked out brilliantly. You've kept all the interest of the field drawing and added to it in spades (or trowels, if you like). Shrike's looking really tasty, too. The new workspace is already paying dividends.

 

[Strandman]

Have managed to finish the Guillemot and think it is time to let it be. Rather chuffed with this one as it turned out.

Congratulations on the Guillemot- the added sparkles on the ripples have really done the trick.

 

[desgreene]

I'm not surprised you're chuffed with it! The water is just brilliantly done.

 

[nickderry]

ooooh! You've cracked it now - this is OUTSTANDINGLY good! There'll be no stopping you now - and you'd better keep at it too!

 

[jomo]

Oh perfect, as mentioned, superb job on the water. Love the heavy texture of those big paint gobs, too! He looks so very alone out there.

 

[Woody]

Wonderful job Alan, liquid water made to look effortless.

Mike

 

[buzzard12]

Yellow Browed Bunting

Look what Santa brought me in the New year, a cracker. A great find this by local birders, wonderful male bird. Cold temp meant field sketches rudimentary, did the colour sketches at home on my return last night with ballpoint biro and crayons, white wax base allowed me to scrape back some of the top layers of colour scraperboard style. Other species feedind at the feeding station included Jay, Lesser and Great spotted Peckers, Tits, Woodpigeon, Fieldfare, Blackbird, Siskin, Redpoll, Greenfinch, Yellowhammer and Nuthatch. Throw in calling Pygmy Owl, Black Pecker, Waxwing and Great Grey Shrike in the area and a most successful coluple of days at the site. No photos but blog updated...

 

[Woody]

Great fieldwork as always Alan. I'm sure my hands would have been a bit shaky with excitement to get anything down, let alone the cold!

Mike

 

[timwootton]

Fabulous bird and beautifully documented. I'm of the opinion that working drawings up immediately afterwards just allows enough of the life-experience to dissolve into the psyche, enabling a more 'truthful' rendition. When supported by such 'rudimentary' field-drawings as these, then the results speak for themselves.
Wish my field work was half as good as these rudimentary drawngs.

 

[nickderry]

You must have been very good for santa to bring you that! You've controlled the ecitement to do some superb sketches, the second colour study is as close to perfection as anybody could dare to go. The limited colours set off against the yellow brow is pure genius.

 

[Strandman]

Subtly glowing emberiza - what a lovely piece of work.

 

[ARTHUR BISHOP]

A superb bunting ALan

 

[buzzard12]

Finally got a few record shots of the bunting today, thought I'd stick one on here for you all to envy. Took me five trips to the site to get these shots of this elusive little bugger. This bird really is a beauty though and well worth the effort.
Got a bit more sketching done today too as the sun is out, snow has gone and the weather is positively balmy at 2 degrees above. (the bird was in view for up to a record 25 minutes continuously today.)
Will post tommorow when I have the light to photograph them...

Photo here the best of them, a few more record shots on the blog...

 

[timwootton]

Nice one Alan - look forward to seeing the new drawings.

 

[nickderry]

rub it in! can't blame you though, seriously nice bird.

 

[buzzard12]

Just snapped yesterdays sketches, the light here in the winter mornings is rather cool toned, giving a blue cast, but otherwise they came out fine.
All of the bunting, these five here are in the order they were done in the field...

 

[buzzard12]

The last one here. This was done in situ also, but took my time on this. Had sketched the bird and managed to get in the important bits in when it buggered off, leaving me with a drawing of the bird and a few sugesstive lines of background. Happily the scenery never dissapears! Had plenty of time to work on the background after the bird dissapeared, so worked the sketch up whilst waiting for it to return, happy in the knowledge that 25 pairs of eyes were scanning the area in anticipation of this event whilst I worked away.. Had forgotten just how ideal twitches are with regard to sketching!

 

[Woody]

Excellent fieldwork Alan. I'm off to burn my sketchbook...

Mike