From Tim Wootton's Studio (1 Viewer)

[buzzard12]

Ta Folks.
Yes Jo - there always seems to be some character sitting in these rock structures. I once did a bonxie painting (now painted over) that had George Mackay Brown's (famous Orcadian scribe) profile in the rock face.
In the gallery, I worked up a few drawings (posted earier) into two watercolours - the razors need to go on another stage too, I think.

If they didn't go another stage there would be enough in this watercolour to keep me happy for a long time, an instant I like a lot...
Wonderful watercolour of a bird species I miss seeing on ledges to bits, it's the way they should be too, not pi**ing past in a northerly direction at two kilometres range.
Can't wait to see the next level of Wootton evolution on this species....

 

[ARTHUR BISHOP]

Love the water colours Tim

 

[nickderry]

you must be having some very nice weather up there - it's very brave to have painted such a pale green shag - and it's just right - wonderful study - and they just keep coming! The C gull chick, the terns, the razors - there is magic in your watercolour box at the moment.

 

[timwootton]

peregrine eirie

Have been looking for a peregrine nest for ages and have only just found one (accessible, that is) although the chicks are fledged, they're still around so I'll be off down there tomorrow (weather permitting) to see what's occuring.
A couple of quickies from last week.

 

[timwootton]

Back from another knackering visit to Sanday - but an exhilarating one, too. I have 4 pairs of arctic skuas on the whole island and all four are sitting a brace of eggs each. Arctic tern colonies are building and most have decent numbers of eggs too - so everything crossed for a bit of success this year. One thing's for sure - if they carry on as the have been over the past decade - they are well and truly effed.

 

[ARTHUR BISHOP]

Tim, this is what its all about.
Never mind Lar's.
I get more enjoyment looking at these to a lot of finished pic's.
learning a lot looking at these books

 

[buzzard12]

Tim, this is what its all about.
Never mind Lar's.
I get more enjoyment looking at these to a lot of finished pic's.
learning a lot looking at these books

Agree with Aurthur, these are wonderful diary type illustrations, you really ought to be thinking about the possibility of publishing a book based on the fauna and surroundings of the part of the world you live in. Something along the lines of Sir Peter Scott's diaries, which I drooled over as a youngster. These have that same quality, a real pleasure to read your handwritten account from the sketchbook.(Pretty sure Sir Peter might have used slighlty tamer "points of exclamation", I like the more colourful language, leave it all in there. God forbid you resort to being on the receiving end of a jolly good mobbing from a jolly irate Arctic Skua, old boy. I say, he almost had my head off, the blighter!)

 

[timwootton]

Very kind words Arthur and Alan - it's feedback like this that really helps when things don't go quite so well as one would hope.
Alan - Here's a worked up pic of the little blighters giving me the old runaround, don't y'know
I'm feeling a big canvas coming on - a seascape I think . . .

 

[jomo]

Phenom. A tantilizing couple of pages with the 'grins, looking forward to some signature Wootton flight studies!

 

[buzzard12]

Very kind words Arthur and Alan - it's feedback like this that really helps when things don't go quite so well as one would hope.
Alan - Here's a worked up pic of the little blighters giving me the old runaround, don't y'know
I'm feeling a big canvas coming on - a seascape I think . . .

Wow. You just don't get this kind of work in the field guides. Have never seen this display, but feel like I have now. Superb observational fieldwork and a really sensational behavoural painting...

 

[ARTHUR BISHOP]

Ditto Alan

 

[timwootton]

Managed a chilly and draughty hour on the cliffs just prior to lunch. The three nippers are out and about but neither they, nor their parents, strayed within a 200 metres exclusion zone from me, except when directly overhead seeing off an errant bonxie, or berating me for my intrusion.

 

[buzzard12]

Cant wait to see these peregrine sketches progress to the next level. The juv. birds breast colour really is an eye opener, as is that adult looking directly upward, fantastic stuff...

 

[timwootton]

Nipped out to see what the Skiba Geo arctic tern colony was doing (the only colony to have any kind of success last season) to find it doing just fine - lots of chicks and plenty of tiddly fish being brought in. Gets a bit nippy on the cliffs in the evening, though.

 

[AStevenson]

Tim - you're obviously enjoying yourself, having similar skua experiences myself just now, the 'oh I'm just standing around not doing anything, nothing to see here' routine, yet a few steps in another direction and suddenly it's 'look at me I can't fly!!'

Our birds seem to be a little down in numbers but that might be because the terns were pretty late in settling themselves.

Trying to do whimbrel survey so they are just incidental along with various others. Love the pergs too.

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[nickderry]

I actually let out an audible 'wow' on this last batch! Top form!

 

[Andrew Clarke]

I keep calling back to the art forum when checking BF, and have to say how much I enjoy all the works... in this age of emarginations, tertial fringes and microscopic photos of white headed gull tail patterns it's so refreshing to find people really capturing the feel of a bird within it's environment.

Tim, I must say this last page has been phenomenal, I can hear the waves, smell the guano and taste the seaweed. It's a cliche but... keep up the great works!

Many thanks

Andrew

 

[Woody]

You are absolutely 'on fire' at the moment Tim, all these sketches are a delight. (And I'm very jealous of the 'grins!)

Mike

 

[timwootton]

Thank you kind sirs - and particularly for the sterling contribution toward making the thread 100 pages in length (has anyone, I wonder, actually read the whole thing???!! - besides me, I mean).
Hi Andrew - unlikely to find anything remotely resembling emarginations or tertial fringes on this thread:-O. Many thanks for the supportive comment.
Just back from the last traunch of stay-away bird surveys and the news (although early in the season for them) is that the terns, puffins and arctic skuas are off to a fine start. Fingers crossed that the sandeels keep streaming in. First black-headed gull chicks are on the wing (so we'll be unindated with 'rare-bird sightings for a while) and the sun shone for 27 minutes - ha!)
A couple of sheets from spare time the last couple of days.

 

[Woody]

Stunning! BHG is utterly outstanding, light form, posture, character.

Oil get me coat!....

Mike