JTMB's Bird Art (1 Viewer)

[colleenc]

Thanks Colleen and Tim! OK, Tim, you've goaded me into it. I'll give the eagle a shot. And yes, this is posted on WC, in the landscape and southwestern forums.

if you do please give it a lot more arial perspective, ( ie lighten make more blue or purple the distance, it's pretty right now but fairly flat. Figure out the direction of the light and how it falls through the painting, and where the shadows are....you will need a few on the bird.

 

[JTMB]

Short-eared Owl

Thanks Gaby and Colleen.

Here is tonight's sketch - a Short-eared Owl 9 x 12 inch graphite piece on Mi Tientes pastel paper, from a photo. These are winter visitors to our area, usually a little north of where I live, although a couple years ago there was one in the valley only a couple miles from our place.

 

[RussB]

A very impressive piece here, John. Didn't you feel like filling those eyes with a bit of bright yellow, though?! You obviously know this medium very well, and it's perfectly suited to the SEO's plumage.
Short-eared Owl is a rare breeding species in my neck of the woods. One of a multitude of special birds I could fill a sketchbook with if I ever got the chance!

Russ

 

[Lykos]

owls and ravenbirds are my favourites

you`ve done a good work

greetings Gaby

 

[nickderry]

love the owl - that huge sheet of a wing really puts us in our place as looking up at this magnificent bird.

 

[timwootton]

Excellent bird, beautifuly rendered.

 

[JTMB]

Thanks Russ, Gaby, Nick and Tim!

Yes, Russ, you're absolutely right - I really wanted to throw some color in those eyes! I'm planning on doing this image in a painting, so I'll get a chance. My debate right now is whether to do the painting as a tight crop 'portrait' like this, or expand and include the whole bird and some context. Probably will do the latter.

Nick - I totally understand. I remember the first Short-eared Owl I ever saw, gliding over fields and marshy areas, and feeling like the bird's wingspan must be six feet. Then I thought to myself - man, the stall speed on this bird must be really low...!

Finally - this was a nice day. Tim's book arrived after a long trans-oceanic and trans-continental journey...and on my birthday, no less!! B The only bad thing about this is that my band has a three hour gig tonight and so I won't have time to devour it this evening. If I was in an orchestra, I think I'd sneak the book in and fake playing while reading it...however, in a trio it's a little hard to hide so it will have to wait. :-O

 

[ARTHUR BISHOP]

Love the LEO and a belated Happy Birthday John

 

[Woody]

Great shortie John. I love the crop on this, right in your face!

Whenever I've watched them it's always been at a distance, there's very little cover for a man on the marshes and those owly eyes spot you a mile off!

Mike

 

[colleenc]

owl striking John, and look at the nice abstract shapes in thereo

 

[JTMB]

Thanks Arthur, Mike and Colleen!

Here are a couple of quick sketches done with sepia pen and Pitt markers. I try to get to my classes a bit early and sketch for a few minutes before class starts. These are all in a sketchbook, with 5 1/2 x 8 inch pages.

The first is a couple of nuthatches, sketched from the images on page 23 of Mr. Wootton's fabulous new book. The second is a Rufous Hummingbird, done from a photo I took a couple years back. The third is a Barn Swallow, also from one of my photos.

Advice and comments always appreciated!

 

[timwootton]

Splendid, John - and better than the examples in the book! My favourite, however has to be the hummingbird - such a beautifully balanced and well-proportioned drawing.

 

[JTMB]

Hi everyone,

Well, my last class for the winter quarter just finished this morning, and I'm not taking any additional classes for either the spring or summer quarters. What I am going to do in addition to working in the studio (and around the house on non-art items) is to start a new sketchbook dedicated to a Peregrine Falcon pair (and their surroundings) that nests each year on the cliffs at our famous waterfall nearby - Snoqualmie Falls. There is a viewing area for the falls that is at the top of one side of the cliffs. The falcons nest on the far cliff, so the Falls overlook is a perfect place for setting up a scope into the scrape and drawing.

The birds appear to have picked their scrape site, and one observer yesterday thought there had been one or more eggs laid. Even if that report is premature, eggs should be happening very soon and the nesting cycle will be off and running for another year.

On dry days (here's hoping we have a decent number of those!) I'm going to get over to the Falls and spend a couple hours each day sketching the birds and the landscapes and items of interest around the Falls.

Here is the first installment of the sketchbook, which is actually done from a reference photo I took of the pair (well, almost certainly it is 'the' pair given our proximity to the falls) in November of 2007. They visit the snag tree near our house a few times each year. It was cold and breezy the day the reference photo was taken and both birds were 'fluffed up' to the point that they looked like they had consumed a couple too many pigeons.

The sketchbook I'm using for this project is a 15 x 11 inch Pentalic Nature Sketch, which has paper heavy enough to take a light watercolor wash. This first sketch is in graphite.

Comments and suggestions always welcome!

 

[mattybohan]

looking good. That hummer is top shelf

 

[timwootton]

Excellent project, John - with your keen eye and eloquent dialogue this should be well worth following. I suppose if I were to offer any suggestions it may be to not limit yourself to the actual 'sketchbook' as here may be times when a different format or indeed media are what you require - but the fundemental approach is very exciting and the end results will still form 'The Sketchbook'. Here's hoping for many warm days with clear skies, teeming with falcons!
Edit - oops, meant to say the peregrine sketches shown are marvellous.

 

[JTMB]

Thanks very much Matt and Tim!

Totally agree, Tim. When I've done journaling or sketchbook projects in the past, I've used a pretty loose definition of 'sketchbook'. I'll be flexible.

Here is a link to a video of last year's three successfully fledged youngsters going through junior Top Gun fighter school a couple weeks after they fledged. Videographer is a Snoqualmie local guy by the name of Scott Dodson. Worth taking a watch of this one, IMHO...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZzatygAZe4.

 

[timwootton]

Stunning! - If those birds in that location don't inspire, nothing can.

 

[Woody]

You'll have to take over from my 'grin project John, it looks like the pair I was watching may have selected a different nest site.

Mike

 

[JTMB]

Thanks Tim and Mike. I'm about ten minutes away from grabbing my gear and heading over this morning - although there is a distraction I'll have to deal with as well. A Say's Phoebe (rare, or at least very uncommon on this side of the mountains) has been reported as being around for a couple days in an area only a couple miles from Snoqualmie Falls...so I'll have to go try to find that bird as well.

I got some concerning news about 'our' falcons yesterday from one of the fellows who has been watching them for the last several years. The female appeared to be sitting tight on the scrape, leading folks to suspect eggs had been laid. Sure enough, when she flew off, there were at least three eggs visible - and there may be a fourth. The problem, however, was that she left for a full hour before resuming incubation. The fellow reporting this said that last year he never saw her off the eggs for more than 10 to 15 minutes. And, the tiercel last year immediately incubated the eggs when the female was off the scrape. The tiercel yesterday appeared to take no interest in the eggs at all. After about an hour the female was back sitting tightly on the eggs. So...maybe this is normal behavior early in the incubation cycle and it's just the result of closer observation - we'll hope so!

 

[Lykos]

watch the vid about the falcons ...thanks John....love this great birds

and your sketch about them is amazing :t:

greetings Gaby