Sketching Birds at Pensthorpe

Yesterday I had the pleasure of being a student again on a workshop at Pensthorpe Natural Park tutored by Mark Boyd for the company Art Safari www.artsafari.co.uk. It was a small group so Mark was able to give each of us plenty of support and encouragement, plus he was extremely knowledgeable about the species that we studied. He suggested we first look for the oval head shape and direction of the beak, then at the body which he likened to the shape of an avocado pear. He touched on the subject of bird anatomy so we could envisage the fact that most of the leg was within the body and what we consider the knee is actually the equivalent of the ankle. It was important to observe closely the leg positions so that our drawn birds would convincingly stand up with their weight balanced. Quite tricky when many birds at rest or dozing stood on one leg!

I started my sketches in an 8 x 8" hardback sketchbook using a stick of charcoal.

For the next page I switched to a black Inktense stick as the smudgy charcoal
irritated me. The avocets were stunning and so elegant.
Also was delighted to catch sight of the bearded tit in the dense reeds,
but no chance to try sketching these small elusive shy birds. 

Over the page again and now using a graphite pencil stick,
 holding it with an overhand gentle grip and broad sweeps before
adopting the traditional 'writing pen' position for more controlled fine
lines to add definition to the shapes in selected areas.

Continued with the graphite pencil stick.
The long spindly legs of so many of the wading birds are fascinating. 

Pencil.

Here I was looking at movement and in the lower right half of the page
I attempted to record various positions of a single avocet preening.

I switch medium again and try a black brush pen for the bird on the far left.
It felt a bit scratchy on the paper so changed to an Edding pen but that too
didn't flow smoothly and seemed a bit dried up.

At this point it was lunchtime and we all retired to the spacious cafeteria for hot drinks and a meal. It was only on stopping that I realised how chilly I had become while sat in one position on a little sketching stool, despite being well dressed for the overcast weather. It was enjoyable chatting and getting to know one another a bit better and to find out more about our different backgrounds and art experiences.

After lunch we moved back out and chose a different area to work in
with other bird species. We were encouraged to work with wet media
in the afternoon and I had fun loosening up by using my new black Elegant Writer pen.
It is really a fibre tip pen for calligraphy but is increasingly being used by artists
as when water is introduced to the penwork beautiful greens and pinks appear
as the pigments separate, an effect reminiscent of my much loved Quink ink.
(Thank you Sue and Kay for introducing me to these pens).

I loved these storks standing on one leg with their powerful long beaks
nestled into their long white chest feathers.

Bar-Headed geese with the Elegant Writer pen,
water was introduced with a water filled brush pen.

It was now time to move into more colour... initially I tried Inktense sticks
but for the afternoon I had decided to work in an A3 watercolour ringbound sketchbook
and the pigment caught on the texture of the paper and was reluctant to soften and dilute
smoothly even when water applied with a paintbrush.
There was only one thing to do - bring out the watercolours!

Unfortunately I didn't make a note of what this duck/goose is,
but the watercolour is a composite of several birds as they assumed the same position
while milling about right at our feet. The other little pencil drawing
was of a single duck who promptly disappeared towards the lake, not to be seen again!
As it was the vibrant splash of red on his beak which attracted me I put that in to remind me. 

Back to the stork, in watercolour this time.
A light drizzle caused little starburst speckles in the drying wash,

As my eye tuned into the smaller compact shapes of some of the ducks I decided
to try capturing their shapes purely in watercolour, no pencil drawing first. To finish
off we were encouraged to think about showing a group of birds and I returned
to the speedy pencil lines to do this, see lower left. 

What a fabulous day. We absorbed lots of information and remained focused as we tried to record our observations of the shapes and movements of a variety of birds. To close the day we gathered together back in the cafeteria. Hot drinks all round again as we discussed our experiences and then Mark quickly showed us some of his work to reinforce some of the teaching points but also to encourage us to consider different ways of working even when outdoors and working from life - collage or even monoprinting. 

Maybe you will be inspired to look more closely at the birds visiting your garden, or on a local village pond? Get the sketchbook out and give it a go. I know I will be attempting more bird drawings very soon, hopefully now with more success than in the past.

   

Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas!

Time Lapse Video - Watercolour of Mountain Gorilla

Through the Looking Glass, watercolour, 75x58cms

The Eastern Open 2013 exhibition opened at the weekend and the photo above is of large watercolour painting I entered.  Unfortunately neither of the paintings I put forward were accepted but with a large number of entries from 7 counties I am only one of many who received rejection slips.  However, having experienced the task of being a selector for the WNAA Summer Exhibition on two occasions I have some insight into the whole process.  I would encourage any artist to take up the opportunity to be a selector/curator if the chance is there - you will certainly never take rejection personally!  Fortunately all entrants to the Eastern open have their postcards displayed for sale in the Old Warehouse.  I popped along to the Art Centre yesterday to have a closer look at all the work and the exhibition does have a cohesive flow to it, with several stunning artworks on display.  It is good to see so many drawings selected.  The Best in Show went to a photograph.  It was interesting walking round and trying to visualize if my work could have sat in amongst them.

Anyway, I thought you might like to see the process of this watercolour painting as captured via a time lapse film.  The original reference photograph I took at Bristol Zoo last month.  I was lingering in the indoor area of the mountain gorillas when this big silverback ambled right up to the glass where I was standing and hunkered down for a few minutes.  I was fascinated by the animal itself but also with the reflections in the glass.  Once the painting was finished, although I gave it an official title, I always mentally referred to it as Egghead!  You can probably see why...   

Drawing on full sheet watercolour paper, Not surface

The following time lapse film is in 2 parts - I have yet to learn how to join the two sections together (I couldn't see how to do it directly in YouTube, think I might have to find a video editing programme to load on the computer so I can add titles etc.) so I do apologise.  I did discover how to add audio, Part 1 works fine in terms of duration but Part 2 finishes rather abruptly.  Hope you enjoy my efforts anyway - it's all a steep learning curve.

Part One

 

 

Part 2

Not sure if this painting will be seen in an exhibition any time soon - but I had a great time creating it!  If you are in King's Lynn between now and 30 November I do encourage you to visit the Eastern Open 2013 at the King's Lynn Art Centre www.kingslynnarts.co.uk.  Enjoy the selected work, and see if you can spot my two postcards, on sale for £20 each.

Postcards for Eastern Open 2013

Mountain Gorilla, pen & wash, 10x15cms

Thought you might like a peek at the two postcards I have submitted to the Eastern Open 2013 exhibition.  Any day now I will receive an envelope to say whether the bigger paintings I entered have been selected or not.  To be honest I am expecting rejection - artists from across 7 counties send in work - and I'm not even sure I have seen animals in the final line up in previous years!  However, the postcards get shown in the Old Warehouse Gallery regardless of whether other work gets chosen.

The one above was from a photo taken at Bristol Zoo.  I did spend quite a bit of time trying to decide how to approach this task.  Should I prime the card first?  Which media could I use?  Should I create actual texture?  How could I create a unique, more contemporary piece on this 10x15cm postcard?  I have seen some very inventive creations over the years...  As time passed this task started to become more and more 'precious' and to grow in importance, but time was running out.  My inability to make a decision and get it done was making me feel increasingly irritated.  Eventually a little voice of reason surfaced - "keep it simple".  So that is what I did.  I grabbed an Edding pen and jumped straight into drawing (no pencil, no safety net) and with the photo before me I pretended I was sketching the live animal.  Using a medium that cannot be altered forces a certain amount of bravura.  I even used my travelling watercolour brush for the loose watercolour washes.  Hooray! One down, one to go...

Ring-tailed Lemur, pen & wash, 15x10cms

This is the second offering.  Again, my reference was a photo taken at Bristol Zoo.  I kept the same brazen approach of swiftly drawing with pen before applying the simple washes.  This little sketch makes me chuckle - the innocence of the foreground character on the left, totally oblivious to the wicked looking creature behind who is about to launch an attack by all accounts! 

I shall keep you posted about my other painted entries and chat about the work once I know what is happening.  Will they be hung in the Eastern Open 2013?  Or (most likely) come back to the studio without an audience?    


 

Exhibition Round-Up and First Effort at Time-Lapse Video!

WNAA 'Small Works' exhibition in Shakespeare Barn, King's Lynn

The latest art exhibitions at the King's Lynn Art Centre are now in full swing.  All four galleries are showing work by local artists - so much talent in West Norfolk!  I have already done several sessions invigilating and always enjoy meeting visitors and getting feedback on any of the work on display. 



Pattern of Light, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 30 cms
My painting with selected grey background square in the
WNAA Small Works exhibition

Almost everyone comments on the novel approach to display in the WNAA Small Works exhibition.  I find it fascinating to see which colour each artist has chosen to enhance their work.  It is amazing how each becomes a little jewel in its own setting.  We have had a few people asking what the accompanied paint colour is called (perhaps inspired to use it as a feature wall in their home?) and in a previous year one artist who sold his artwork was invited to paint the square too.

'Wildlife in Art 2013' exhibition in The Fermoy Gallery, King's Lynn

A very different display for the Wildlife in Art 2013 exhibition - not an easy task to create an exhibition that flows with such an array of media, styles, shapes and sizes.  Congratulations to Peter, Ann and David - you did it!

In the photo above you can just about make out my owl painting.  I treated myself to a little camcorder a few weeks ago and made sure it was one that had a time-lapse recording function on it.  This enables a long period of time to be condensed into a much shorter time frame by only capturing snatches of images at pre-set intervals.  I have had a go at this while painting Monty: Eurasian Eagle Owl.  I am offering this short video to you for viewing, but apologize for any frustration it may cause - unfortunately I ran out of battery before I even started working on those gorgeous orange eyes!  I had been playing around with the camera and getting used to the various functions; I should have charged the battery before filming the painting session.  Learning a lesson the hard way...

To try and make amends I finish with a photo of Monty: Eurasian Eagle Owl.  My original reference photo was taken when Paul and I were in the Lake District and while exploring Kendal we came across an owl recue association promoting their work that had some of their magnificent birds with them.  Paul had the opportunity to have a large leather glove on his fist and Monty sat there quite content while I took some photos.  We left a healthy donation to support their work!

  

Monty: Eurasian Eagle Owl, acrylic on canvas, 
(copyright Tod Evans) 

The exhibitions at the King's Lynn Art Centre www.kingslynnarts.co.uk continue until Sunday 15th September, closing at 5pm, so if you are visiting the area I urge you to go along and have a look - there is something for all tastes and you will definitely come away inspired.  You may even be tempted to purchase some original art to hang in your own home.

Wildlife Painting in Watercolour and Gouache

Reference photo and drawing 

 

This delightful little hedgehog (hoglet as I believe the young are called) was a visitor indoors for one night last year, after we found him cold, wet and shaking in the grass following a horrendous day of pouring rain.  He spent the night in a large plastic box with newspaper on the base and a small towel loosely wrapped around him.  With some water and tiny portion of cat food he was left in peace and we feverently hoped he would last the night.  The following morning as I approached the box I could hear snuffling and shuffling noises followed by noisy chomping.  When I peeked in he was polishing off the last bit of cat food!  (It sounded like he was chewing with his mouth open).  He looked totally revived and we gladly placed him back where we had found him the previous evening.  On checking the area later in the day there was no sign of him, so hopefully he was fine. 

 

This painting, I think you will agree, is totally different to the monochrome canvas I showed you yesterday.  It was so enjoyable to do.  The majority of it was completed yesterday and today it was a few finishing touches.  The pale hairs on the cheeks needed pushing back with a very diluted dark wash.  Selected areas had more strong darks to make them recede.  Gouache has a tendency to darken and sink in once dry so some of the brightest lights were stroked on again for emphasis.  I shall let the photos show how this painting was built up in layers...  





 

Loose pencil drawing as guideline

Initial variegated watercolour washes over subject
and background

Continue with large round brush to introduce more
defined underpainting

Building up the layers, still watercolour

 

 

Background lower left strengthened to integrate
 hedgehog with background, also spatter for visual texture 

Now the fun starts - white gouache, tinted with watercolour,
for finer hairs and thick pale spines

Detail - translucency of watercolour and opaque nature of
gouache work beautifully together

 

Protection, watercolour and gouache

I am planning on entering this painting for the Wildlife in Art Exhibition which is also at the King's Lynn Art Centre, and runs parallel to the WNAA Small Works.  Hmmm,  I'm wondering now if I have time to create one more piece of work for it...  I have a lovely picture of a European Eagle Owl (taken during our trip to the Lake District - a rescue centre had a fundraising event), or camels at Banham Zoo... or what about the pheasant photographed on the patio last winter?

So many pictures, so little time.  If you are feeling inspired, don't make excuses, get cracking and who knows where it will lead?