Recent sketches (1 Viewer)

[Mackem George]

HI RUSS some great work there sir,volume of sketching you get through is vast,wondering do you travel light ie sketch pad/pencils or optical gear as well.Seems as though myself tend to have scope/bins or camera/telephoto only one thing forget to take sketch pad, maybe rethinking is needed at my end.watercolour next ?

George

 

[solitaryVSong]

I love the coots Russ. You'd never know they're 'the worlds most boring bird' from these. Makes me want to drop what I should be doing and go find some birds to sketch.

 

[JTMB]

I also really like the coots here, Russ! Our coots are one of the favorite prey targets of our (large, especially in winter) Bald Eagle population. We have so many coots, however, that overall the population doesn't seem to be much the worse for wear.

 

[Bigshent]

Some fantastic shapes on the Coots Russ :t: Your sketches always impress even more since attempting it myself

 

[Woody]

Good God man! Just how many sketchbooks have you filled?! Wouldn't want you to slow down though, it's pages stuffed with wonders!

Mike

 

[RussB]

Many thanks once again!
Bigshent, I travel fairly light. Just arm myself with bins, scope and tripod, A4 sketchbook and 3B pencils. That's it!
One day I must make the effort to put in a small W and N watercolour box. It cost me nearly fifty quid and presently just looks nice in the drawer!

Cheers

Russ

 

[RussB]

Hi all!! First of all may I say reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated! Secondly, other commitments ( not all bad!) have seen me spending less time in the field - until recently!
The olympics have recently inspired me to get off my axxe and do something positive. Many years ago thought my talent lay in distance running, and I've had pangs of regret not having fullfilled some potential (not that I would have been contesting Mo Farah, you understand!) Injury, over-training and ignorance put pay to it! So now my goals need to artistic rather than athletic!
Back to field sketching. I've been trying to adopt a more looser, impressionistic approach for a few months now, with a little success. Often, much of what I've done - in my opinion - has been over-done (and much of it still may be), so now I'm concentrating on form and jizz more than anything else. The likes of JB, Darren Woodhead and our own Mr. TW are among the finest purveyors of it, but I hadn't gathered on how difficult the approach is! To sit and concentrate for 2.5 to 3 hours can become very testing, but hey, no pain no gain, as they say! When it comes off, though, the results are very pleasing.

A few sketches of Pintail from five or six months ago - lovely round bellies, heads, spiky tail and the eternally difficult neck -kink. A bit over-done but you can see what I'm aiming for - hopefully!
Also, posing Common Gull - one of my favourite gulls. Very understated!

Cheers

 

[RussB]

Ever-present BHG's! I do tend to get a bit bored with them after a time, but then discipline is required. Still, their availability means they make good practice birds and do I ever get them just right? er, no!

Cheers

 

[RussB]

Sketches of drake Garganey from Pugneys CP in early May. This was a sketching 'tick' for me in the uk! Again, lots of detail to come to terms with in an intricately plumaged bird, made monstrously difficult when it was actively feeding.I need to just hint at plumage patterns and concentrate on form, so these are a somewhat over-done again. Sleeping birds tend to be a lot easier!

Also, a few quick sketches of wigeon. This is the type of result I'm striving for - where the bird's captured in a few deft strokes. Just a case of chucking a bit of colour on then! Ah, ah, ah - if only!

 

[RussB]

Another 'tick' were five Little Gulls, again at Pugs in May.What superbly delicate creatures these are! Mos of the time they were dipping and hawking over the reserve lake but would then settle on the water for some very convenient sketches. Each of the first-summer birds had subtly different head patterns, which all added to a certain charm.

A couple of Ringed Plovers, too. These are good examples of what I'm striving for! Just the right amount of shading adds form - and life!

 

[RussB]

More Lil' Gulls, including dodgy flight sketches! I'm pushing the boundaries a bit more, as they say!

I know the next logical step is a splash of watercolour. However, I've bored you all enough in the past about how to go down that route so It will have to be a case of taking the plunge and not being afraid of the inevitable cock-up!

 

[RussB]

Finally, a selection of cormorants from a few weeks ago. Despite having made literally hundreds of sketches of these in the past, I'm always surprised how difficult they are when you come back to them!
Hadly many birders' favourites, they are great practice for me! I find it a real challenge to capture the shapes they make when preening. Again, I've tended to over-work things in the past so I've tried to keep things really simple here.
I had a bit of fun with the bic pen after seeing what can be achieved in the hands of messers Dougalis and Dalton. I just tarted up a sketch of a bird drying its wings!
Couple more BHG's too.

Many thanks for looking and as always, feel free to comment: your critique is most valued and appreciated, and more impornantly it inspires!

I'll endeavour to visit everyone else's thread when I've recovered from this marathon posting!

Cheers

Russ

 

[RussB]

My last three, until next time. That'll be after the Birdfair, where I hope to purchase fine art and gather inspiration yet again.

Cheers

 

[Nick Sinden]

Love this new stuff Russ...final page is especially excellent...

 

[timwootton]

Fabulous work, Russ - all this time in the (track and) field is certainly paying huge dividends. The 'dodgy' flight studies of little gulls are far from that - some beautiful angles in there, as are the preening black-heads. As you say - always available - never easy ( once knew a lass like that - sorry)
Cormorants, plovers and garganey - top class - and the neck-kink pintail is perfectly seen. All in all, and inspirational set of work and a work ethic to make even the most conscientious of us blush and demand we do better.
Thanks for posting - terrific work.

 

[Bigshent]

Ive missed your work Russ, the latest batch must be up there with your best B

 

[solitaryVSong]

Fabulous work, Russ - all this time in the (track and) field is certainly paying huge dividends. The 'dodgy' flight studies of little gulls are far from that - some beautiful angles in there, as are the preening black-heads. As you say - always available - never easy ( once knew a lass like that - sorry)
Cormorants, plovers and garganey - top class - and the neck-kink pintail is perfectly seen. All in all, and inspirational set of work and a work ethic to make even the most conscientious of us blush and demand we do better.
Thanks for posting - terrific work.

Completely agree! I was about to say that the last Little Gull was my favorite until I realized that there are two such posts. But, they both end with the same sketch! So I can still say it.

Really your improvement, and work ethic as Tim says, are extraordinary. These have so much animation now and are almost colorful in the way you've gotten a variety of tones. That's one thing I like so much about the last Little Gull.

As I look at these and Alan's recent sketches in particular I think how great it would be to see a large exhibit of only field sketches. Or even a book. As I've said before I often prefer them to more finished work because they can be so full of life, as these are.

 

[RussB]

Many thanks for your comments.
A few weeks ago I decided to 'chuck out' what I thought I knew and try to adopt a much looser style, that would hopefully capture that ever elusive jizz of the live bird. This new approach has been now been hopefully cemented in my skull after a chat with artist Darren Woodhead at the Bird Fair. The bloke doesn't do 'detail' as far as I'm concerned, yet his works are quite wonderful.
I've tried this approach before but never eally managed to stick at it, until now! What you see should be loads of practice lines and very quickly sketched shapes - very occassionally resembling the bird!
Attempts to capture the distinctive jizz of a Caspian Gull a few weeks back, with a fairly successful effort of a relaxed bird. Also sketches of Greenshank.
It has started to hit home why, as a rule, birders don't field sketch! Hardly easy is it!

 

[timwootton]

These greenshanks are brilliant - movement and active forms all over the place. This is what's meant by catching the jizz.

 

[RussB]

More shanks plus Little Egret. I'm now trying to sketch purely as I watch the bird, rather than rely on the 'visual memory'. Even though I consider mine to be poor, which only lasts two or three seconds often it's a case of drawing what I'm thinking I'm seeing rarther than what's really there!
The result, of course, is a requirement for lots of pages!