Campsite sketching in the Pyrenees

drawing a tawny frogmouth feather

This post is about drawing the feather of a tawny frogmouth. I have quite a few of these feathers in my collection. I am not sure why I have so many, as you don't see that very many tawny frogmouth birds about. This is probably because they blend in so well with the tree branches they are on and they are nocturnal. However I still think that there appears to be a disproportionate amount of feathers compared to birds you see everyday, such as magpies. Tawny frogmouths are one of my favourite birds (I seem to have a few)

Tawny frogmouths. Photo: Keith Smith Photography

The Tawny Frogmouth is found throughout Australia. They are about 35–50 cm and can be seen in almost any habitat type except the denser rainforests and treeless deserts. Frogmouths are often confused with owls, but are actually more closely related to the nightjars. This feather was collected off the ground in Toowoomba, Queensland.

I often draw feathers, but they are usually simple and one or two colours. And I complete them over an evening or two. See them here . In this post I wanted to share my love of watercolour pencils and what can be achieved using this medium

The tawny frogmouth feather was more of a challenge as their feathers are highly patterned. This is the second time I have attempted to draw one and I am still figuring out how to do it. I was halfway through this one when I discovered that Derwent Inktense Bark watercolour pencil is the perfect colour for the tawny frogmouth feather. The pencils I was using were too brown or too grey and I was trying to blend them.

 

This time I remembered to take these photographs along the way to try to show my work in progress. It shows the real feather at the top and my drawing next to it. I started it in February this year and then put the drawing aside for about two weeks between the last two images.

STEP 1

 

STEP 2

STEP 3

 

 

 

 

in detail

 

 

 

 

 

 

STTEP 4 - FINISHED !

 

 

 

Drawn on Arches 300gsm Smooth Watercolour paper.

main Colours

Bark - Derwent Inktense

Walnut Brown - Faber Castell Albrecht Durer

Burnt Umber- Faber Castell Albrecht Durer

Ivory - Faber Castell Albrecht Durer

Raw Umber - Derwent

I have found that the Derwent pencils are too soft for the finer "feathery" details of the feather (the "afterfeather") as you can see the texture of the pencil on the paper. Faber Castells are harder and give a finer line, which can also be dissolved beautifully to give the fluffy look. This is the area I love to draw.  This particular feather was a bit of an experiment. I am very pleased with the final result, and have learnt a lot along the way. NEXT TIME I need to figure out a way to achieve the dark colour patterns and the fine lines of the feather (I think these are called the barbs). I feel that it is a little heavy handed and muddy in this one. However, I am not looking for a photorealistic drawing of feathers. My drawings are more about the impression of detail, rather then actual detail.

  

 

Tawny frogmouth and chick drawn from photo, 2010

 

Autumn's treasures

 

My good friend Luba has only recently started gardening and she is delighted with her efforts at growing vegetables especially pumpkins.  This one is only the size of a grapefruit and has hardly enough flesh to eat so I had a lot of fun drawing it instead!

little sketch in a pine wood-Concetta Flore

The "pineta" of Castelporziano used to be a vast pine forest extending behind Ostia, on the sea shore near Rome. A few years ago a devastating fire destroyed a large part of it, and though many pine trees have been re-planted, the maquis is still low. We walked towards an area that remained untouched and where the pine trees, still tall and healthy, harbored many songbirds and woodpeckers in full springtime activity.
I did this quick sketch on a small pad, 16x10 cm.

insects and beetles

For Christmas I was given a box of feathers, leaves, a nest, seed pods and a few beetles. In the last few days I have finally put aside time to draw some of them (in watercolour pencil in my Moleskine watercolour sketchbook) .

Unfortunately I am unable to provide very much technical information about them.I can tell you they were collected in Toowoomba, Queensland,Australia, probably along suburban footpaths, waterbird habitat or my mothers backyard !

This top page is what I always called a Stag Beetle. I have found out they are part of Rhinocerous Beetle family which covers many similar looking beetles with varying degrees of spiky and spiny features.




This second page has a few mysterious small black and brown insects. I know the highly un-technical name of the "click beetle" (middle left) which (when we were children) we used to put our finger on their back they would click and jump . The green cicada is also a familiar insect . Maybe the one above it is a Christmas beetle ???

I really enjoyed drawing ( or is it painting?) these. I also wanted to write all over it with notes. I have kept most of the beetles and bugs to draw again another day....

Cedrus deodara - Himalayan cedar

Cedrus deodara is a species of cedar native to the western Himalays in eastern Afghanistan. It is a large evergreen coniferous tree reaching 40-50 m tall. the leaves are medle-like, mostly 2,5 - 5 cm long.
The female cones are barrel-shaped, 7-13 cm long and 5-9 cm broad, and disintegrate when mature to relase the winged seeds.
It was imported in Europe as ornamental plant since 1800.

I found pine cone and branch in Subiaco, near Roma. The branches were on the ground because of snow in recent days.

Angela Maria Russo watercolour on Magnani sketchbook

Snow again

It snow again in Rome, less than last week.

it will melt soon and these little birds will begin to build their nests

Japanese quince, sparrow, robin and wren - watercolour and pencil on sketchbook Magnani

Story of a little winter rose

During the night has blossomed this little, delicate, modest, delightful rose. 

The rose now is open, for a few days it gaves me the dream of spring.

My little rose has lost its petals. I hope spring comes soon to see new roses bloom.

Lantana - Alissa Duke

Lantana - a noxious weed around the world.

This is from a vacant lot next door to me in inner city Sydney. But this is the same plant that I remember coming across when hiking in National Parks in Queensland when I was young. We would walk on trails, but these plants would be by the trailside, scratching and ripping at any bare legs, their prickly leaves sticking to jeans. All of these memories came back to me as I handled and drew it.

Acacia in spring - Alissa Duke

Acacia oxycedrus or Spike Wattle

I must admit that I had never seen one of these before (perhaps I was not looking very hard) . At first I thought it was a white callistemon , but a quick search corrected me. This acacia is a prickly, dense shrub up to 3 meters. The flowers are in cream spikes which occur in winter and spring. It is found in Australia in SA, Vic., NSW. This is from a local inner city Sydney area of land which , over the last few years, has been cleared of introduced species and weeds, and replanted with indigenous plant by our Landcare group, http://www.pyrmontultimolandcare.org.au/





I picked this from a shrub and put it in a glass of water at home. I sketched a bit on Sunday night and returned to it on Monday night to discover the flower spikes were beginning to blossum. This is truly a work in progress.