Mike's conservatory (1 Viewer)

[Woody]

Cheers all.

I think I'm waking up now, there's another bird on a stick nearing completion then I'll hopefully move on to something a bit more challenging.

Mike

 

[colonelboris]

Nowt wrong with birds on sticks - it's where you generally find the small ones...
As well as the bird itself, I like the background effect on that.

 

[ed keeble]

Cheers all.

I think I'm waking up now, there's another bird on a stick nearing completion then I'll hopefully move on to something a bit more challenging.

Mike

welcome back old bean: there's a number of us seem to have perked up as spring approached

 

[nickderry]

glad to have you back - but Christmas was ages ago! lol, fine piece of work of what is one of the most difficult subjects to get right.

 

[Woody]

welcome back old bean: there's a number of us seem to have perked up as spring approached

I keep seeing glimpses of the sun between the rain clouds. The avocets on the scrape at Elmley are gearing up as is just about everything else, wheatears are passing through although so far I've only had unsatisfying looks at their dissappearing white bums. The days are longer and I found out I'm going back to Singapore in the summer! Things are looking up and my paintbrushes are calling.

Mike

 

[Woody]

glad to have you back - but Christmas was ages ago! lol, fine piece of work of what is one of the most difficult subjects to get right.

Cheers Nike,

They're tricky little johnnies to be sure, red/orange chest particularly.

Mike

 

[nickderry]

Cheers Nike,

They're tricky little johnnies to be sure, red/orange chest particularly.

Mike

indeed, that colour is just impossible, don't think I've ever painted one successfully, and now have rather a defeatist attitude to them. That would have changed had my lingering bluethroat been out at the same time the robin was there - they were in the same spot all the time, just never together.

 

[mark richards]

hard to get the colours right on the breast ,had a hell of a job ,on one i carved..
took me ages to get it right..
you have done a great job...mark

 

[Woody]

Colour is a little too saturated on my monitor after upload but hey-ho.

So here is the other bird on a stick completed, time to get thinking about something with a bit more substance.

Mike

 

[buzzard12]

Colour is a little too saturated on my monitor after upload but hey-ho.

So here is the other bird on a stick completed, time to get thinking about something with a bit more substance.

Mike

Thats a little bit of treasure Mike...Love it..

 

[nickderry]

excellent, all the power packed into this tiny bird

 

[Woody]

Elmley trip on Sunday morning was a chance to field test my new travel scope that I've bought for this year's Singapore trip. It's angled which I'm not used to but it's small and light and most importantly cheap and so far I'm happy with it. It's a Celestron Ultima 65 if anyone's interested.

We had really good weather in the morning with bright sunshine and light winds, it actually felt a bit like spring for a change! The birds must have thought so too 'cos I had some firsts of the year. Three swallows were working hard and low for insects, a sedge warbler was singing somewhere in the reeds, two male and one female yellow wags put in an appearance and, best of all, four or five wheatears seemed happy to pose for a while. Whata bird!

Sketches are a bit shakey because my sketchbook's been a bit neglected lately but I'm glad to be capturing something as practice for summer trip if nothing else.

Mike

 

[mark richards]

cracking...

 

[username]

Love the noble stance of that Wren Mike....!

The volume of this bird, as we know, defies its tiny size and this pic emphasises that methinks...:t:

http://username-beast.blogspot.co.uk/

 

[solitaryVSong]

cracking...

Great to see your sketches again Mike! It looks like the shakiness quickly disappeared as you went from drawing 1 to 3. Wren looks good as well. One of its US relatives, the Carolina Wren, I remember reading somewhere was called by native Americans The Little Bird with the Big Voice. Yours is a big, little bird.

 

[Bigshent]

Loving little Jenny. The Whetear page is fantastic they do hold there selves super and you have captured it spot on :t:

 

[colonelboris]

That Wren is lovely!

 

[Woody]

Thanks guys.

My wren's not quite as exotic as yours Tony!

Mike

 

[colonelboris]

It'd be nice to see more of them! It's a little quiet round these parts.

 

[mattybohan]

For the wren you say "bird on a stick", but there is a lot happening in there. Great painting.