I went to Leeds Castle today to do some sketching at the aviary there. Drawing outdoors presents its own unique challenges for me, as my eye condition prevents me from going outside during the daylight hours without big, thick sunglasses on. Without them, I'm essentially blind, so it's certainly not a fashion statement. Anyway, as I'm sure anybody who's ever worn sunglasses knows, not only do they reduce the glare of the sun but they also subtly alter colours when you look through them. As a result, when I draw outside, I have to try to adjust for what I've come to call 'the sunglasses factor' in an attempt to get accurate colours. It's annoying, but there you go. The colour wasn't a problem with this first sketch, as it was done in charcoal. It's also of a peahen, which are almost pure white anyway:
This next sketch is of a Bearded Barbet in oil pastels. This little sod led me a merry chase as he flew around his enclosure like a maniac. Patience and persistence allowed me to create this image as a kind of composite based on the several times he decided to stop for a breather:
This next little guy is an Australian King Parrot. He was a dream model; he kept almost perfectly still the entire time I was drawing him. He was tucked away at the back of his enclosure in the shadows, but his bright colours made him stand out like a sore thumb. Good thing he wasn't trying to camouflage himself, I suppose. I did this sketch in chalk:
The last of my sketches at the aviary was of a Moluccan Cockatoo. If I thought the Bearded Barbet was fidgety, he had nothing on this guy. He didn't stay still long enough for me to do a full-length drawing, so I had to make do with details of his head and claw. This sketch is was done in a 2B pencil:
The first person to say that this post is for the birds gets a slap.
This next sketch is of a Bearded Barbet in oil pastels. This little sod led me a merry chase as he flew around his enclosure like a maniac. Patience and persistence allowed me to create this image as a kind of composite based on the several times he decided to stop for a breather:
This next little guy is an Australian King Parrot. He was a dream model; he kept almost perfectly still the entire time I was drawing him. He was tucked away at the back of his enclosure in the shadows, but his bright colours made him stand out like a sore thumb. Good thing he wasn't trying to camouflage himself, I suppose. I did this sketch in chalk:
The last of my sketches at the aviary was of a Moluccan Cockatoo. If I thought the Bearded Barbet was fidgety, he had nothing on this guy. He didn't stay still long enough for me to do a full-length drawing, so I had to make do with details of his head and claw. This sketch is was done in a 2B pencil:
The first person to say that this post is for the birds gets a slap.
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