Moku hanga bench4/15/2023 I'm not saying that this is a great 'creation.' I did the pencil sketch on site and then added crayon and wash in my studio over the last two days. In some ways it exemplifies the very center of art, especially natural art: creating something new out of things actually seen. This type of compositional study is something that I greatly enjoy. I started with the foreground Canada Goose, then moved on to two different Wood Ducks and placed them behind him, then added a distant goose to his left, Finally I added the female Mallard that floated by later. None of these birds ever appeared as they do in the sketch above. Since I'd seen few birds along the way, and since there were up to 30 handsome Wood Ducks, all at Valley Green I decided to sit down on one of the benches and at least work up a pencil sketch. It was hardbound so I knew that could open it and use it as one 8.5x11 sheet. So yesterday I brought along a small 5.5x8.5. I decided that this might be a very good use of the Stillman and Birn sketchbooks. That's something that more compositional studies can accomplish. How do you compose it? What goes in the background, the foreground? What are the colors, the light? The problem with field sketches that just try to understand and portray the bird by itself is that they present a problem when used as the basis for a painting. When I took up wildlife art I pretty much thought that's what defined a 'field sketch.' And to a large extent that's true.īut I also found myself really admiring the more compositional sketches of a few wildlife artists, often done in the field as well. As I said last post I'm in the habit of using the Moleskine for ballpoint pen field sketches. I brougth both my Moleskine and Stillman and Birn sketchbooks. The wind was so strong that he went by as though shot out of an arrow, twisting and turning with the curves of the stream itself. The highlight of the day was an Osprey sailing up and down the Wissahickon, calling in his full throated voice as he went. And of course, outside of three singing Louisiana Waterthrushes, they were nowhere to be seen. Once warblers arrive it's easy to convince myself that I ought to go out and look for them even if there are a million other things I should be doing. If you are interested in sponsoring or supporting the fourth International Mokuhanga Conference please contact us.Wood Ducks, Mallard and Canada Geese at Valley Green.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |