Thursday, June 16, 2011

Kite sketch - Maree

Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!
- John Benfield



Sketching has always been one of my great passions, but of late I've been neglecting it in favour of doing mostly watercolours. I've decided to go back to basics and sketch a lot more. Sketching forces you to look in more detail, and ask yourself what you actually see. You’ll end up seeing a lot more than you would otherwise. There’s something about holding a pen or pencil in your hand that gets your creative juices flowing in a much different way than holding a brush. When you get used to sketching, the movements of your hand become much more fluid and it becomes really easy and natural. The more you practice, the better you will become at sketching.

A Charcoal sketch of a Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus), a common, grey and white raptor in South Africa with a black shoulder, done in my Moleskine large sketch-book.These beautiful little birds (they're not much bigger than a pigeon) often sit on the telephone lines outside our property and to watch them hovering over a field when they've seen some dinner is one of my greatest pleasures.


13 comments:

  1. Lovely sketch Maree of a lovely bird. Haven't been to South Africa, but have seen this species in Morocco and India.

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  2. You really captured that fierce eye! I'd love to see one...

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  3. As Cathy and Phil say....These birds must be beautiful when they soar. Can they (can't think of the term) float on the wind?
    annie

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  4. Beautiful, clean sketch, Maree. And I agree with you - sketching is good for your art!

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  5. So much captured here with just a few lines. Beautiful, Maree!

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  6. Many of my sketches don't turn out as well as this one, yet I think jumping in and trying is a very, very important part of learning the character of each species. Nice job.

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  7. Thanks a lot, and yes Phil, they do occur in India, South-East Asia, south-western Europe and across sub-Saharan Africa, so it's wonderful you know them!

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  8. Thank you Kate, and so do I wish you could see one! A quick visit to South Africa would do the trick....?

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  9. These Kites do not "soar" or float on the wind Annie. They do straight flights and are mostly seen sitting on fence posts or telephone wires, surveying the scene, or hovering over prey before they plummet in for the kill. Thanks for the comment!

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  10. Ditto there Studio, and thanks for your lovely comment!

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  11. Thanks so much PJ! That old adage "less is more" sometimes works very well!

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  12. Thanks Elva! I do have a tendency to over-work and add too much detail, except when time is short and one has to be quick!

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  13. I'm sure that would work, Maree! I wish!

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