Keep It Simple

"Faithfully copying every detail you see doesn't work. 

Too much detail destroys the illusion."

"Simplicity captures and expresses the essence of the subject." ~ Hap Hagood

 "To see things simply is the hardest thing in the world." ~ Charles Hawthorne

The Skill Of Simplicity

"The most complicated skill is to be simple.”
 ~  Dejan Stojanovic

 "Simplicity is creative in and of itself." ~ Michael Duncan

 "I like to have a thing suggested rather than told in full. 

When every detail is given, the mind rests satisfied  and

 the imagination loses the desire to use its own wings." 

 ~ Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Focus On Your Passion

“Whatever your passion is, keep doing it. 

Don't waste time chasing after success or 

comparing yourself to others. Every flower 

blooms at a different pace. Excel at doing 

what your passion is and only focus on 

perfecting it. Eventually people will see what

you are good at doing, and if you are truly

great, success will come chasing after you.”
 ~ Suzy Kassem  

 

 "Out of clutter, find simplicity." ~ Albert Einstein

    

  “Habit is the intersection of knowledge (what to do),

 skill (how to do), and desire (want to do).”

 ~  Stephen R. Covey

Hummingbird Wings

"Within my Garden, rides a bird,

Upon a single Wheel

Whose spokes a dizzy Music make

As 'twere a travelling Mill." ~ 

Emily Dickinson

Hummingbirds flap their wings 50 to 200 times per second! They move them in a figure 8 motion while flying. This makes drawing or painting them in action challenging. A camera with a flash can freeze the motion, but it is not how we see them with the naked eye. 

Sometimes in art and in watercolor especially, we have to make up symbols for things. These symbols can then become more real than life. I think this is especially true of hummingbird wings in motion. I seem to get the best looking results when I remember "LESS IS MORE" when depicting them. I am working on a demo on how to convey more of the feeling of the wings, so stay tuned as I work out the details.

License a finished version of this image here.

I started a third hummingbird watercolor and this time did the wing first on wet paper (front and back) with a very dry brush and minimal strokes. By George, I think I'm satisfied with it this time. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the completion of the body goes as well.

Our second challenge drawing was just sent in by Diane Wallace. Thanks Diane! Well done. She also says; "I'll have to remember the "less is more" on the wings. I felt like they were way too heavy in my sketch."