Birds of the World: Black-headed Gull

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Artwork, birds, illustration

There is something rather comforting about drawing a bird I’ve known all my life. Black-headed gulls have always been around; I have watched them following ploughs in the Kent countryside when I was a child, seen them in their paler winter plumage sailing over the sea, and looked out for their black head feathers appearing as one of the very first signs of spring every year. I found a diary entry for January 1969 reading ‘BH gulls getting their black heads’, so it’s been a long time. Their heads are actually more dark brown than black – but we won’t quibble. This summer I had a close view of them when we sat on the waterfront at Lymington in Hampshire, eating crab sandwiches. The gulls waited nearby, ready to pounce on any leftovers, and it was lovely to see their dark red bills and feet contrasting with their soft grey backs – quite delicate, as gulls go, so I thought of that when I was drawing.

Not too hard to draw, either. Pale-coloured birds are generally straightforward since you don’t need to build up too much pigment, so this was one was a pleasure to work on.

Birds of the World: Woodland Kingfisher

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Artwork, birds, illustration

When things have gone a bit awry with my Birds of the World drawing project (see last week’s bleary godwit), I tend to take refuge in something very bright and exotic. So here is the African woodland kingfisher – you can’t get much more bright and exotic than that, not when you live in southern England, anyway.

It’s a substantial, chunky bird with clearly defined areas of colour – shouldn’t be too difficult to draw, I thought. I was forgetting how tricky it can be to make blue-coloured birds look convincing, but off I went regardless.

Over all, it isn’t bad, for a bird I’ve never actually seen.  The back feathering proved a bit tricky, but the eye and head came out well. I’ve had worse results. Not my best piece of work, but by no means my worst, and I’ll happily settle for that.

Birds of the World: Black-tailed Godwit

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Artwork, birds, illustration

After my minor triumph with the green woodpecker last week, I was full of enthusiasm to draw another bird you can see here in Britain. I chose the black-tailed godwit. I live by the sea and godwits are regular birds of passage here, I see them often, know how they move and this one was in its showy summer plumage – lots  of bright chestnut-red, gorgeous to draw. What could possibly go wrong?

Oh my godwits – just about everything. My ‘easy’ choice quickly became nightmarish. The colours on top of the head refused to come together; the lovely chestnut colour went bleary and the feathers on the back and wings completely refused to co-operate and became a grimy mess. Not one of my better efforts.

However, I determined when I began this project to show the ones that went wrong, too – or all but the very worst, anyway. I finished the picture with a bit of background, complete with a tuft of grass that also refused to co-operate. It was just one of those days, I suppose.

Never mind, I’ll put it behind me and move on. There are squillions more birds waiting to be drawn, so I shan’t wind myself up over a cantankerous godwit.

Birds of the World: Green Woodpecker

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Artwork, birds, illustration

It’s a very big project (and most likely unfinishable) to set out to draw the birds of the world, and the sheer numbers to choose from is often overwhelming. I wanted to draw a woodpecker, but there are dozens and dozens of them spread round the world – many of them very similar-looking. So, I chose a familiar one – the green woodpecker. This is a bird I’ve known since I was very young, and to this day the sound of its laughing call brings on a wave of nostalgia for green places I once knew. I even wrote an illustrated story about it – The Yaffingale’s Tale. You can find it online if you’re interested.

For once this drawing went superbly well and I’m delighted with it. I seem to have caught not just a green bird, but a green atmosphere that suits it perfectly. I shall definitely be framing this one!

Birds of the World: Canada Goose

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Artwork, birds, illustration

Just the one species this week – but you do get two for the price of one with this pair of Canada geese. They are large, impressive birds, and I remember the first time I ever saw one at St James’s Park in London. All sorts of waterfowl, both wild and tame could be seen at close quarters and as a twelve-year-old I was beguiled. A little later I became used to seeing Canada geese out on the marshes of north Kent as a breeding bird, and when I grew up I would see noisy chevrons of them flying over on their way to the gravel pits at Wraysbury, near Heathrow. These days, in Dorset, I still see them regularly. In some places they are considered a bit of a pest, and I understand that – but you can’t deny they are magnificent birds

These geese were beautiful to draw – but oh, all those stripy bits! – and the reflections in the water bring challenges of their own. Still, I’m pleased with this drawing; it has a peaceful look about it, and I’ll probably frame up a print for sale later on.

Birds of the World: Welcome and Bishop

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Artwork, birds, books, illustration

A rather enigmatic title this week from my Birds of the World art project – but all will be made clear. Swallows are seen all over the world, and I thought it was time to draw one. This is not the familiar swallow (or barn swallow) that many people will know, it’s the Australian welcome swallow. This one is specially for my daughter who is off to Tasmania later this year, and I hope these swallows will be there to welcome her and her husband. It took me ages to get the head right on this drawing, but I’m quite pleased with it.

The bishop is an African weaver bird species – the southern red bishop. For once I feel I haven’t put enough colour in on this image. It really should be more red. Not like me to underestimate the colour level, but nobody’s perfect, eh?

Yet another bird book arrived this week – the Birds of India by Martin Woodcock (you couldn’t make it up…) –  a very second-hand volume having been published in 1980, and quite a slim one to cover the birdlife of a sub-continent. Lovely illustrations, though, and much to learn from it.

Birds of the World: Cotinga and Spinetail

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Artwork, birds, illustration

A pair of South American species are this week’s contribution to my Birds of the World art project. The pompadour cotinga is an unlikely-looking creature, and you could be forgiven for thinking I made it up. But no, it’s real. And I imagine that the deep maroon colouring is nowhere near so obvious in the depths of the forest. The rufous-capped spinetail is more a bird of the forest edge but it’s probably quite hard to spot in the foliage, too.

The cotinga was hard to get right, and I don’t really think I succeeded. Perhaps a different background would have helped. The spinetail, however, was a joy to work on and I’m delighted with it, background and all.

This week I made a start, too, on printing out and framing some of my bird drawings with a view to selling them for charity at a local craft fair in the autumn. The frames are inexpensive, and often recycled – so I’m having fun finding the right frame for the right bird!

Birds of the World: Long-tailed Broadbill

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Artwork, birds, illustration

My collection of bird books is steadily increasing; I simply can’t resist them. It’s becoming a bit of a habit. To begin with I had an ancient Birds of Britain and Europe – plus the Birds of North America (acquired during a trip to Florida nearly forty years ago). But the collection keeps growing – the Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa, Birds of Australia, Birds of Southern South America and Antarctica and the Birds of Nepal all sneaked in. Some are new, some used. The South American book has some interesting notes scribbled on it by a previous owner. I love that!

Last week the weighty Birds of Indonesia came thumping through the letterbox. Oooh, I thought, and couldn’t wait to look at it. I was drawing the Long-tailed Broadbill at the time, and when I opened the book at random guess what page it landed on? Why, there was the broadbill itself – a multi-coloured, exotic Asiatic beauty.

As usual, I was discontented with my drawing. They never seem quite right. But the book had fallen open at the right place and there was my bird with the Mona Lisa smile. Well, I thought, perhaps it’s not too bad after all.

Birds of the World: Oystercatcher

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Artwork, birds, drawing

Yes, yes – I know it’s been a while since I last posted. My excuses are a horrid virus that made me unwell for weeks, and a very much nicer trip to the New Forest in Hampshire (we saw more than forty species of birds there…)

It’s been a struggle to get my Birds of the World Project restarted after this interruption. Sometimes you just have to be stern with yourself and say, ‘Come along now, just do it. Doesn’t matter if it isn’t perfect.’

So here we are – the oystercatcher. It’s a familiar bird here by the sea, and at low tides I’m often woken at night by the loud piping cries.

Art-wise, it’s not my finest effort; the wings were very tricky to get right. But never mind – it’s put me back on track. There’s a lot more to look at and a huge amount still to learn.

Birds of the World: Shelduck and Snipe

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art project, Artwork, birds

This week, two birds showing the underwing view. Quite tricky to get right – but then I’m a glutton for punishment.

The shelduck is a favourite bird for me, familiar since my teenage years, and I still see them regularly here in Dorset. I have drawn them before, but this is the first time I’ve tried portraying one in colour. It’s quite a big, goose-like duck and I think I’ve caught the weight of it pretty well.

The painted snipe has a wide range in Africa, India and Asia. Unusually for me, this one is a female – she is more brightly coloured than the male. There were a lot of fiddly bars and stripes to sort out, but I’m quite pleased with the effect. I do feel I’m making progress!