The (very fun) wildlife (non-bird) art thread

I promised to start one since we're not all just bird-loving artists. Birds are great, but we all have other passions. :)

Since many of us love and are inspired by nature, this thread is for any artwork related to all things wild and untamed, be that fungi in dappled woodland light, the patterns of rock fissures, moths, bluebells in spring, etc. There are no rules (art, rules?) but there should be some recommendations, as follows:

This is a fun thread.

This is a fun thread, not just for finished paintings, ready to mount and frame.

This is a fun thread.

Any medium, any size, any format, anything goes.

This is a fun thread.

(I'd prefer no pets please, but this is a personal preference. Feel free to ignore me.)

To start, inspired by the little squirrels that came this morning to enjoy some seeds in my garden, here's a charcoal sketch in my sketchbook.

'Catch me if you can!'

  • Thanks, but they are lovely things. Not hard to make them lovely. :)

  • Glad you started this thread Elle and love your cute squirrel! :)

    I look forward to seeing your paintings and drawings here, and hope lots of others join in too.  I definitely intend posting quite a few pics here - this is one I did the other day.  

    wild bluebells in Kintyre (from one of my photos) (the originals had raindrops on them - might try to do that another time)

  • Elle, as ever you have caught the essence of the squirrel with the minimalist approach you do so well.

  • Maggy your WC style is very delicate, I think i have said that to you already so sorry to repeat myself. (That def. looks like WC to me but I have been known to be totally wrong...!) In any case, the fresh colours, soft edges, wet in wet glow in the greens, and balanced composition are really good. And I do know I have def. told you to pursue WC, so keep at it if so. :)

    I would have used fresh greens, but it's a personal choice, and the only thing I could suggest, if you don't mind, is to have used some stronger greens around the focal bluebell, just to bring it forward from the others, especially that paler one n the distance.

    Thanks everyone to the squirrel. What better cutie/thief to start this thread off?

    I spent the better part of the night/day on this following piece since it got worse and worse. I've just started to use collage, suffice to say this is for the 'under the bed dustbin'. It's overworked, looks nothing like a collage - I could not stop being all painterly. It was meant to be bold and graphic, not atmospheric and representative. Anyway, 100% for effort in my case and for posting it, so I hope someone can appreciate it at the very least.

    Biro, printed paper, crepe paper, acrylic and pastel.

    'An unfinished overworked frog on golden lily pad'

  • Elle, I think you are being hypercritical re your collage frog!  I actually think it works very well :)

    Thanks for your comments re bluebells - I do still need to work on creating proper paintings and not just sketches of one thing!!

    all the best for a happy (painting) 2017! :)

  • Maggy you're like my lucky charm, only seeing the positives, thanks sincerely and I suspect you're right, but it's hard to judge it on its own merits when it deviates so far from my original idea.

    And don't pressure yourself in regards full on paintings but of course stretch yourself when you feel that urge. Remember this is a fun thread, lest you've forgotten already, see above. :) I think I'll stick to studies lest I stop posting. You'll be able to capture those bluebells for real soon too, I've never seen one so it'll be a first for me and a joy to paint.

    And yes, happy new year to us all. But every day is like a new year, we can enjoy the fresh possibilities and challenges that every sheet of blank paper brings, letting go the mistakes of yesterday. Happy painting for us all.

  • Here are a couple of efforts from 31 Dec/1 Jan (intending to try to do at least a brief sketch every day, but may not post every day - also, not all with be relevant to the RSPB forum) Elle, what do you feel about wild landscapes for this thread?

    Hope you get to see wild bluebells soon - they are one of the sights of Spring - parts of the west coast of Scotland get covered in a beautiful haze of blue - I will try to post some photos on another thread to let you see.

    these are quick sketches from one of my photos - brush tipped artist pen and back to my acrylic washes! (grey and burnt umber)

  • Elle, was going to start a thread with photos of wild bluebells but discovered that my photos are either not on this laptop or (if they are) have been saved somewhere I need to hunt for them!  so here are links to a couple of bluebell photos on Flickr www.flickr.com/.../album-72157628360621873,   www.flickr.com/.../album-72157628360621873 and www.flickr.com/.../album-72157628360621873 - hope you don't mind me posting Flickr links (didn't want to actually post photos onto an art thread) - and happy bluebell hunting this year!

  • Wildlife landscapes should be part of this thread, and you need not ask my permission at all. It seems natural it's a flexible thread, since it's 'non-bird'.  You are lucky to have those wild bluebells on your doorstep, I will certainly go find them. Spring is floral season, and I have not been in the mood since summer so below is something I've done just for you. And those photos are just lush!

    And those are pine needles/cones right you've sketched? They are so pretty in real life. I have had no luck finding one to make a fat cone for the tits. Just when you search for something, they all go in hiding...! How are you going to finish/continue this sketch?

    Also I don't want others to feel this is a finished work thread. Surely it's totally possible to post part-finished work, and post the finished thing. It at least keeps one motivated.

    Anyway yesterday I started this, and just got an hour or so to fix up this morning. This is a painting, and it's not 100% but I will stop of working on it and will move onto something else. Maybe at a later date I will revisit it. Am not totally keen on the flowers, but so be it. You can see I am no stickler for detail and focus solely on composition/design, colour, dynamics, texture etc. The more abstract the better, and if others think this is abstract, this is still not abstract enough for me. Anyway, Maggy, enjoy. I've only started acrylic, and I am loving it. Any poor technique is my fault of course.

    'For Maggy - cosmos, anemones and co.!' (Acrylic, paste, 40x30)