Welcome to Nick's dining room table. (2 Viewers)

[nickderry]

About time I caught up! Another visual treat, Nick. Actually, as a bloke with a funny taste in bird art, my faves here are the illustrative work! All these are exquisitely done, but the dipper, hunched shrike and black woodie are superb.
The cranes, too have got me drooling. Just thinking how many pages I would have to scrawl on to get shapes like these. If only they existed, as Tim says!

Russ

Those cranes had a lot of pages of scribbling (and a lot of rubbing out on the page - hence it being an acrylic!)

The problem is with them, they move so nicely and have so many fine curves to give them their poise and balance - plus they are a former bogey bird and top of last year's must see list. (This year's gimme gimme gimme list is Short-toed Eagle, Pygmy Owl and maybe a rarity)

 

[timwootton]

(This year's gimme gimme gimme list is Short-toed Eagle, Pygmy Owl and maybe a rarity)

Yep - if you saw s-t eagle and pygmy owl you'd need a rarity to make the year worthwhile . . . :-O
I'm dreaming of a whinchat . . . .

 

[Woody]

Just because it's illustration doesn't make it any less beautiful Nick, they all have the deftness of the Derry hand which is a constant delight to all of us here.

The plover's a marvel, it's got a kind of sixties feel to the design.

And the creamy greys and lilacs lend the cranes a sort of silky serenity which is very attractive, just like the real thing.

Mike

 

[halftwo]

I always feel better after a 'derry-fix' of illustrations...
Incredible stuff...:t:

Yeah, & I've been away for weeks!

 

[buzzard12]

'that Snowy Plover really is Delicious Nick

It is though, greenery is brilliant...

Gimme Marsh Sandpiper, an adult Caspian Gull this autumn and a rare please!

 

[nickderry]

always nice to get a lifer - especially so close to home and when it's a short-toed eagle - after a very long absence, they're back in our region, the pair have settled on a territory in a secret location and hopefully I'll be able to enjoy them quite a bit this year. After wondering whether I'd be able to identify it - I needn't have worried, such a distinctive shape - which is really hard to decipher when it's a new and exciting bird as the sketches testify!

There are more sketches from the day - including some colour fieldwork, they're on facebook, link below. (Can't be arsed resizing them now - got to go to bed, invigilating an exam tomorrow morning - whoop-de-effing-doo!)

 

[timwootton]

Just perfect. I've seen these elsewhere, but they still take my breath - amazing.

 

[colleenc]

whoop de do BEAUTIFUL Nick and the sky shots over the moon.

 

[solitaryVSong]

always nice to get a lifer )

AND to get it down on paper! Once again they have an incredible sense of loft to them, especially the first two paintings. You can just feel them hovering high in the sky.

 

[RussB]

I love these flight sketches, Nick! Superbly done. A bit more detail added as you get into the bird, but no titivating. These birds may have a distinctive shape, but capturing it as accurately as this is no mean feat. If only I had big raptors hanging around long enough to sketch 'em!

Russ

 

[mattybohan]

These are top shelf.

 

[nickderry]

I love these flight sketches, Nick! Superbly done. A bit more detail added as you get into the bird, but no titivating. These birds may have a distinctive shape, but capturing it as accurately as this is no mean feat. If only I had big raptors hanging around long enough to sketch 'em!

Russ

Not as accurate as I wanted - I seem to have drawn half osprey half random raptor things - now the initial stumbling block has been crawled over, I'm going back for another look tomorrow.

 

[nickderry]

still haven't finished the illustrations - I keep getting distracted by things such as drinking, birdwatching and facebook - and yes I know that potential customers often trawl the net to find such unprofessional statements, but I'm not a professional!

Got out to Pagney yesterday afternoon after work, lovely day, a garganey was in, a purple heron was the first for the year there, 5 male whinchats together was a very pleasant sight and the great big reed warbler was shouting from his usual place.

 

[nickderry]

here we have some 'matador and bull' white wags, a whitethroat that sat on this fencepost long enough for me to complete this sketch AND take some reasonable photos, great BIG reed warbler (I love this species - amazing things!) and then a mixed bag of whinchats and garganey

 

[nickderry]

garganey - the first one I think is how they should be illustrated in field guides - and on the top of the second page is perhaps my best sketch of one - looking like a feathered 'dustbuster' with all extensions stretched. I really should spend more time painting whole scenes, I can perhaps do something with the group sketch in the studio, but as a plein air piece of art, it really is in shorthand form. (LRP, Ruff, Greenshank, Wood Sands and Garganey)

 

[timwootton]

These gladden the heart whilst simultaneously rip it apart, such is the honesty and integrity of the work and such is the giant green monster of envy it creates in me as I view them! My chances of connecting with a smart spring whincock is remote, and these exquisite studies are jst about tipping me over the abyss - gorgeous, gorgeous work; quite possibly the best group of field drawings I've seen - ever. The heron/chat sheet has so much to love about it - it's a perfect image of species and comparison. The colour comp needs firming up and framing and the displaying alba would make a beautiful vignette in colour or inks (!!!!).
Superb.
Again - superb!

 

[Lykos]

you are an inspiration

greetings and happy eastern to all

 

[solitaryVSong]

still haven't finished the illustrations - I keep getting distracted by things such as drinking, birdwatching and facebook - and yes I know that potential customers often trawl the net to find such unprofessional statements, but I'm not a professional!

Potential customers may be trawling the web looking for 'unprofessional' statements. But not real art lovers or bird lovers. They would have better ways to spend their time than web trawling. Like being bowled over by such strong work when they see it!

I can't imagine how anyone who has some feeling for both birds and art, or maybe even just either one, wouldn't be awestruck by these. As Gaby says they are inspiring. One thing I note that is so completely absent in my own work is a sure sense of where the legs are. The legs here just look as natural as can be. All in all a great collection.

You can get back to the illustration when the weather turns bad!

 

[colleenc]

Nick if anything the illustration work has just made you stronger, the finest work on all levels here. just awesome !

 

[orniodesigns]

Great pieces!