Mike's conservatory (1 Viewer)

[timwootton]

Hi Mike, great work here, the right hand peregrine is so well drawn, there's a great sense of brooding power withing the drawing, that raised mantle over the birds crown gets the point across better than words ever could...

The more I look, the better it gets. It really is a cracking drawing.

 

[RussB]

Splendid 'grins' once again, Mike. Hate to think what my sketches would look like after such a lay-off!

Russ

 

[Woody]

Cheers all. I'm lucky to have peregines locally and all that practice with the Paddington pair last year has stood me in good stead I think. The Paddington pair are still around but they seem to be favouring the opposite side of the building for roosting. I'll be keeping an eye on them and hoping they 'get it on' soon!

As for sketching, I just bought a nice new sketchbook and a whole load of pencils today, now all I gotta do is start using 'em!

Mike

 

[Lykos]

excellent peregrine :t:

greetings Gaby

 

[ARTHUR BISHOP]

Great sketching Mike . looking forward to your next master piece.

 

[Woody]

From a windswept and grey Elmley today; The peregrine facing into the wind and unable or unwilling to stand upright against it. Ringed plovers all facing the wind and some lapwings, most of which were doing the sensible thing and facing into the wind but there's always one or two...

Bird of the day was the ringtail Hen harrier seen briefly flying out towards the Swale probably hoping to stir up an unwary dunlin or two.

Mike

 

[mattybohan]

wow...Makes you feel right there.

 

[Woody]

Cheers Matt. Check the blog for a better description of the conditions.

Mike

 

[mattybohan]

Hey Mike,

sounds like Michigan weather... but a month or so earlier! Your drawings captured it with the birds hunkered down in the wind. Great work as always.

 

[solitaryVSong]

wow...Makes you feel right there.

After looking at these for a second time I tried to decide what to say about them. When I finally realized what struck me most, the quality of being there, I realized that it had already been said. Can't do much better than making viewers feel like they're actually there!

We hit 60 C today but are expecting 50mph winds and high in low 30s tomorrow. That will make it seem more like your weather I think.

 

[Lykos]

excellent sketches :t:

greetings Gaby

 

[timwootton]

Lapwings reveal the environmental conditions perfectly, don't they; crests flapping forwards when the wind catches them from behind, or pressed flat in the face of a gale. Undertail coverts unravel and envelope the stick-thin legs and mantles lift with ease - all to drop neatly back into place when the correct weather-vane stance is resumed. This single bird is drawn with all the knowledge and sensitivity of these things, and with that added grimace of fortitude as the adjacent grasses get pressed to the ground. It's simple and elegant and says much about the artist, as well as describing the bird perfectly.

 

[Woody]

Since we've been having a bit of a black and white discussion lately and I had some free time at 'work' I thought I'd see what I could do.

Based on one of my barn owl sketches from a week or two ago I've used good old photoshop and some redrawing with digi-tablet to produce a kind of digital woodcut. I'm not sure of the artistic merit of reproducing a centuries old technique using contemporary technology but it was interesting and it filled an afternoon!

Opinions?

Mike

 

[JTMB]

Well Mike, the digi-woodcut certainly looks great to me! The Peregrines and lapwings are wonderfully done as well.

 

[Andrew H]

Interesting and different.....Like it for different reasons....

 

[timwootton]

It's superb - besides the interesting use of the media, there's an exquisite drawing underlying. Technique is one thing, craft is another.

 

[solitaryVSong]

It's superb - besides the interesting use of the media, there's an exquisite drawing underlying. Technique is one thing, craft is another.

Tim's right as usual. The software would be next to worthless without the underlying talent of the artist. It does look great.

It almost makes me want to start up my ancient copy of Painter, which is somewhere on this computer. But I know better than that As much as I liked Painter and all the effects it had I just couldn't get enough control from the stylus on the Wacom tablet. Or maybe I just didn't have the patience. Still this is an impressive example.

 

[Woody]

Perhaps I'll give some other sketches the same treatment and see where it leads.

Mike

 

[ARTHUR BISHOP]

I like a Barnie in any form Mike, the owl of course

 

[RussB]

Oh yes! Having recently fallen in love with band w illustrations this barnie is sensational, whatever the creator thinks about how it came about.
Great sketches too, Mike. Like the guys say, you've cetainly delivered a sense of being there.

Russ