...the hummingbirds are going crazy at our house zooming here and there and fighting at the feeders. We have several new birds that have joined our ranks, no doubt migrating south and stopping off to refuel...
For these first three paintings I drew quickly with a pencil on watercolor paper. My plan was to paint over the top of the pencil sketches with watercolor and let the graphite show through:
I used a charcoal pencil here to sketch the form out in seconds. I then used plain water in a waterbrush to soften the charcoal and add shading. I followed that with a few strokes of watercolor. I did this in the car, and it only took a minute or two. It was meant to be a study, to help me figure out how I was going to paint the the paintings above. It's the first time I've used charcoal in over 30 years. I loved it and will be using it a lot more:
The following is the first painting in the series...one color...one paintbrush...and finished in under one minute. Again...a study to get a feel for the hummingbirds. I painted it outside just before I left to pick up Matty, then did the charcoal when I got there. I really enjoyed doing the two studies. It's fun to throw caution to the wind:
4 comments:
really nice studies for one min.. I love the one that is reaching down in the flower.
These textures are delicious! Even the one that is blues has enticing variety. The charcoal is an interesting contrast to the watercolor; that may be my favorite. But the graphite sketches are nice too with the more delicate strokes--and in all the birds look so real because you have captured their poses just right.
Beautiful value study. I was inspired by you and went out to the birdfeeder... wow, I appreciate your work even more.
I like this series and it is fun to see your thought process experimenting with different mediums. I really can't get enough of the third graphite sketch (the one eating out of the flower). You captured this unique posture so well, and I can keep looking at it and admiring it for hours.
Post a Comment