A Little Bird

Hi all,
I'm being quite successful at the moment doing sketches on a regular basis. I am find it quite therapeutic during these cold days. My wood turning workshop is as cold as an Eskimo's fridge, but at least while my wooden creations might be suffering, my art skills are getting a chance to improve.

I have decided to concentrate my efforts in certain areas. Flora and fauna and small birds are going to be my main focus. The former, just because they are beautiful, and the latter because they are not only beautiful but will also be the subject of some woodcarvings I hope to do in the spring.

I thought that sketching birds would help me to understand their shapes better.
Here my first attempt.

Sorry about the quality of the scan, but it gives you an idea about where I'm going. The sketch was done using pencils, graphite, brown pencils, plus pen and ink.

The next one I did was a goldfinch, which is a bit more colourful.

This one was done using the set of 12 winsor and Newton watercolour markers that my wife bought me for Christmas. I really like using these because they save me having to mix paints in the conventional way. I use them mostly in conjunction with a water brush and they work like magic. Highly recommended if you are thinking about giving them a go.

In my next post I'll show you how I'm getting on with the flora and fauna.