Hi
I'm surprised by how few people have been posting paintings and drawings of birds on here (I plead guilty myself as I've not been much on the forum for the past couple of years until the last month or two) - I'm sure there are lots of talented bird artists out there - it would be great to see more of your efforts! (the ones that are already on are great but there doesn't seem to have been any for a while). I've not done much painting of birds at all but am hoping to do a lot more now - here is one to get this thread started. A mandarin drake done with pencil and water colour pencils (from one of my own photos).
see my photos on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/maggyn/
Another coal tit since I just adore them.
these are lovely, ellemoonie - a lovely free, almost chinese art, style - thanks very much for adding them :) - they are very lively - a sort of "essence" of each bird rather than forensic detail. my favourite is the tree swallow - beautiful :)
it was an artists graphic pen I used - I sometimes use an acrylic wash but have not used indian ink for years. I agree with you re coal tits - I'm very fond of them but they move so quickly!
Hello, thanks! And yes, i do prefer to capture a moment/memory/impression that i have experienced with a bird and have been highly influenced by free brush techniques with no outlines to fill in.
We should have daily post, anything on birds. No masterpieces/complete paintings as such, but just to have a bit of fun! I almost daily sketch birds, but it may force me to do something different in my sketchbook and post them. Hopefully we can this thread some attention! It can be anything, any and all mediums. Anything that inspired us to try something different.
Maybe, if you have not used india ink, in years, will give it a go again? I know I rarely use my technical pen, so I may try that again with other media. I love acrylic ink (if that's what you mean), it's so powerful and bright. It would be nice for me to see how you mix the two. Coming from a WC background, ink has a real 'wow' factor for me.
I'll see what I can manage with a new coal tit today.
love your idea of a daily post! haven't done any today but will start one now! would be great if we can both get this started and hopefully other people will join in.
I've not tried acrylic ink - it was acrylic paint I used. look forward to seeing your new coal tit :)
Lovely sketches there from you both.
Ellie if you want to add more than one photo at a time, in the one post. I think what you can do is click use rich formatting, the click the 9th icon along on the blue bar, the little screen, then in that box you can pick your pictures from where they are stored and add one at a time.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Yes i concur! Ok, a quick blue tit instead, WC and fineliner on NOT paper. I've squeezed it onto the paper so excuse background messiness. Look forward to your contribution. :)
Thanks catlady I will try that. I'm too busy to bother with techie stuff, but I will make an effort.
Would you like to contribute? Any artists are welcome, even self-proclaimed non-artists! :)
that's a lovely bluetit, elliemoonie- so delicate and fresh :) here is a quick sketch of a moorhen, taken from one of my photos - done with graphic/artist pens and acrylic paint wash on cartridge paper. beak and feet were partially hidden in the photo so a bit sketchy here! thanks for your nice comments catlady, if you draw/paint, hope to see your stuff here :)
Immediate and lively, love it. Like the lost parts, does nothing to diminish the sketch, in fact makes it better since I won't lose my focus on the moorhen's intense focus. I actually saw one and mistook it for a coot sine they're quite similar. They seemed very bossy! Amongst a load of mallards, I attempted to feed them - sunflower seeds - the only thing on me. They were very disappointed when they saw whatever I threw in the pond sink. Must remember the bread next time.
I have great expectations for this thread. I have not used WC for a month since I've been distracted with acrylic stuff, but I raced for it today. I will be more ambitious tomorrow and do something I've never done and see how it goes. Maybe some collage, who knows. This should be fun.
thanks :) the moorhens on my local pond are usually a bit shyer of people than the mallards but the much colder weather (pond has been partially frozen some days) has been driving them out onto the path looking for food - much better for photography! like you I have been taking bird seed rather than bread - the black sunflower seeds were no use even on the path - couldn't see them! the mixed seed went down much better - had forgotten they would sink though! I agree, this should be fun :)