Hurricanes and Hummingbirds

With Hurricane Irene scheduled to pass through here on Saturday, my thoughts and concerns turn to my little hummingbird buddies. If it does hit us, I hope my large hummer population will weather the storm well. Here's a sketch of one of my little jewels with and without the watercolor wash.

Rushing Stream Sketch

Although I didn't put all the tones in yet, my value pattern plan for this composition

will be a large light shape (stream) with a small dark (shadows) in an overall mid value.

Using the Rule Of Thirds as a guide, the focal point

will be in the lower right where the lines intersect.

Find out more about values here.  And here.

Large Light Value Pattern

Today's value pattern sketch is a large light with a small ldark, in an overall mid value.

If you squint can you see it too?

Find out more about values here.

And here.

Large Dark Value Pattern

Today's value pattern sketch is a large dark with a small light, in an overall mid value.

If you squint and use your imagination, can you see it too?

Find out more about values here.

And here.

Country landscape

Ocean View Landscape

I went down to Long Beach Island yesterday and took a bunch of photos. Today I was trying to do a value pattern sketch - A large dark (figure and fence), small light (ocean), in an overall mid value (sand and sky). I may want to do this as a watercolor at some point and having this sketch as reference will be an asset. Squinting a whole lot while drawing and painting may not look attractive, but it definitely helps me see values and shapes more clearly. See my reference photo and more shots of LBI on my web log.

Relationships

"Just a suggestion.  You seem to study and sketch one object at a time.  Perhaps you would want to sketch one object in relationship to another. This may prove to be more interesting, looking at the negative spaces between things and how lines intersect."

One of my subscribers recently offered this plan for consideration, so I decided to do a few loose landscape sketches with objects in relation to one another. This may become an autumn painting in the future.

Wordless Wednesday

It's Jersey Devil Time!

It's time to start thinking about Autumn and the Jersey Devil here in the NJ Pine Barrens! Every year I do the cover art for the Chatsworth Cranberry Festival program book. I usually do several original watercolor paintings of JD too. I've got lots of sketches flying around the studio here today. Here's one of the ideas, but I still haven't picked my favorites or settled on compositional designs.

Hummingbird Feet

I'm constantly looking at hummingbird's feet in my own photos and in those of others.

I I did this sketch today from my friend, Jennifer MacNeill's, photo taken this month here at Hummer Land. I just loved how this hummer is perched on the end of the shepherd's hook. Often their feet look weird, almost deformed in pictures. Here Jen was able to capture the true strength and character of this little dynamo's tootsies, talons and all. Thanks for your permission to use this shot as reference Jennifer!

Lots of Action!

OMG! The hummingbirds LOVE the rain.

It's been non-stop action with them.

And for me, it's stop-all action.

So I get another cup of coffee,

put my feet up and just enjoy their show!

Silent Saturday