Getting back to drawing... (1 Viewer)

[Stonefaction]

Pre-internet days I used to be quite creative in my spare time. One of the things I used to do quite a lot was a spot of drawing. My 'style' of drawing seemed to suit inanimate objects such as aircraft and 'Old Dundee' street scenes and I struggled to get animals and birds to look 'alive'. I've tried once or twice over the intervening years to get back to drawing but I've never made any concerted effort to actually get better at trying to get the 'look' I wanted for my drawings of living creatures, so from January 1st this year I've been doing relatively quick drawings as practice to getting used to having a pencil in my hand again. The results (so far) have been rather mixed with one or two that I think are ok, a few more that are just about passable, (f you stand well back from them with your eyes half closed) and the others should've gone in the bin....

But I have to remember these are just fairly rough (5-15 minute) small drawings using one HB pencil on cheap scrap bits of printer paper and I'm posting them so I can look back as the year progresses and hopefully see improvement of some sort (and to give me an incentive to continue making time, and effort, to do at least one drawing per day). So here's where I'm at so far....

 

[KeesJ]

Nice to me. I would like to draw as well as you.

 

[Stonefaction]

Nice to me. I would like to draw as well as you.

Thanks, Kees.

 

[MikeInPA]

Is there no end to this man's talents?

Very nice sketches!

The White-tailed Sea Eagle is fantastic.

 

[Stonefaction]

Is there no end to this man's talents?

Very nice sketches!

The White-tailed Sea Eagle is fantastic.

Is that a subtle hint that they are actually as bad as I suggested and captions would be helpful, Mike? (Though if you know what they're meant to be, you'll see how bad they actually are).

Kingfisher, Nuthatch, Storm Petrel, Eider, Magpie, Avocet, Red Throated Diver, Manx Shearwater, Goldfinch, Puffin, Barnacle Goose, Red Backed Shrike and Great Crested Grebe.

 

[MikeInPA]

Is there no end to this man's talents?

Very nice sketches!

Is that a subtle hint that they are actually as bad as I suggested and captions would be helpful, Mike? (Though if you know what they're meant to be, you'll see how bad they actually are).

Kingfisher, Nuthatch, Storm Petrel, Eider, Magpie, Avocet, Red Throated Diver, Manx Shearwater, Goldfinch, Puffin, Barnacle Goose, Red Backed Shrike and Great Crested Grebe.

Just taking the whatsit! Honestly I think they're pretty damn good. I particularly like the Storm Petrel. I think the proportions of all of them are excellent.

I did get the Shrike wrong I thought Grey Grey or Lesser Grey. I got the Petrel wrong as well, I thought Leach's forgetting the tail is forked on Leach's. I don't see Petrel's in PA

 

[Stonefaction]

Just taking the whatsit! Honestly I think they're pretty damn good. I particularly like the Leach's Petrel. I think the proportions of all of them are excellent.

That's why I put the

Thanks for the compliment though. It is very much appreciated. I'm relatively happy with the Eider and the Puffin but the Manxie and Goldfinch would've gone in the bin and I'd have drawn something else if I'd been in a better mood that night.....

It's not meant to be a Leach's ....(though the markings on the upper wing on the 'actual' bird did have me wondering at the time, as Leach's were being reported elsewhere along with Storm Petrels).

 

[Stonefaction]

I did get the Shrike wrong I thought Grey Grey or Lesser Grey. I got the Petrel wrong as well, I thought Leach's forgetting the tail is forked on Leach's. I don't see Petrel's in PA

We don't usually get petrels in Dundee either.....right place at right time (and a bit of a hunch).

 

[Stonefaction]

A few more.....Gannet, Collared Dove & Ringed Plover.

 

[Swampy Sam]

Excellent Drawings!!! Remember if you're not having fun doing it! Your doing it wrong!

 

[Stonefaction]

Excellent Drawings!!! Remember if you're not having fun doing it! Your doing it wrong!

Thanks. Got a lot on my plate just now so not yet got the time to do 'it' right. Hopefully at some point, I will have the time to actually do 'it' right and enjoy it.

 

[Stonefaction]

A few more - Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, King Eider, Long Tailed Duck, Sand Martin and Mediterranean Gull. Bit of a mixture quality-wise again. Happy with some, less than happy with others, but gotta keep the daily drawing going for as long as I can...

 

[MikeInPA]

A few more - Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, King Eider, Long Tailed Duck, Sand Martin and Mediterranean Gull. Bit of a mixture quality-wise again. Happy with some, less than happy with others, but gotta keep the daily drawing going for as long as I can...

I think you've got the proportions dead right on most of them but I think the forehead on the LT Duck is a bit steep along with the King Eider. I really think you nailed the Sand Martin and the Mute Swan

 

[Stonefaction]

I think you've got the proportions dead right on most of them but I think the forehead on the LT Duck is a bit steep along with the King Eider. I really think you nailed the Sand Martin and the Mute Swan

Thanks, Mike. On the photos I copied from the LTD and KE foreheads were pretty much that steep. Where I seem to have gone wrong is the heads don't go back quite far enough on my drawings which makes them look 'wrong'. The Med Gull is my own favourite of this bunch.

 

[Myyraap]

You draw well! I tried once, and all I ended up with was a cybertruck, not a bird

 

[Stonefaction]

You draw well! I tried once, and all I ended up with was a cybertruck, not a bird

Thanks, Myyraap. I'd only ever drawn a few birds previously (wasn't really into birds back when I was drawing more) so I'm still more or less learning how to. The results are rather mixed and there are many that I'm not overly happy with (including one rather 'cartoony' drawing that should have ended up in the bin, which I've yet to share on here).

 

[Stonefaction]

Final batch for January. Probably gonna have a break from birds for a month....(at least). Swallow, Red Necked Grebe, Auks (Razorbill, Guillemot & Puffin), Little Grebe, Great White Egret, Great Northern Diver, Little Tern and Ruddy Duck.

 

[Lisa W]

My question after view these is why on earth did you ever stop? If I could do this, I would definitely not stop.

 

[Stonefaction]

My question after view these is why on earth did you ever stop? If I could do this, I would definitely not stop.

Thanks, Lisa. I never really drew wildlife/animals before (bar a handful of random stuff) - I wasn't a birder back when I used to draw so there was no real reason to try to draw birds. I tended to draw planes, or old city views etc, and I did a lot of other 'creative' sorts of stuff too (songwriting, writing etc) but then along came the internet...and all that stuff took a back seat. 20+ years on and I'm still online way too much, so I decided this year that I would try to be more creative - though these drawings have still been squeezed in, (and mostly suffer for that) amongst trying to edit photos and type up my birding blog-posts and catching up with various other online stuff. One day I'll maybe get the balance just right....

 

[KC Foggin]

Six images. All beautiful works of art!