Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Field Sketching

Whether you're into painting birds or people, sketching is so very important in your growth as an artist.  I've got lots of sketch books that I've kept while travelling but not many of birds and animals other than those critters that stand still for a very long time, such as flamingo, stilts, etc.  I recently discovered Youtube and have been using it as a resource for sketching birds.  Rather than stop the video,  I sketch the birds while in motion. The beauty of using youtube is that you have a second chance to get it right by replaying the video. These are some of my quick studies done from youtube.  I wouldn't use youtube images for finished paintings that you plan to sell as the images are protected by copyright.

I use a soft pencil - sometimes a ballpoint or fine-line pen and I try hard not to erase.  If I need to smudge or soften a line, I use a kneaded eraser.  As we all know, the more you do something, the better you'll get - so becoming better at field sketching moving birds, is my new goal.


New Zealand White-faced Heron



Poaka
New Zealand Pied Stilts



Kereru
New Zealand Pigeon




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