Drawings – in a Mix of Media – Janette Leeds Art

*Dark Sepia Ink pen, Coloured pencil, Inktense Ink, graphite pencil and Watercolour. Size approx. 10cm x 15cm.

These are Australian King Parrots – though not an exact rendering. We have them, and many other birds visiting us daily. I’m yet to correctly identify and name them all; though it’s certainly on my “to do” list.

I used some of my photos for reference – and memory and imagination to create this drawing.

I began with a flurry of ink pen lines – not sure where they would land…and with only an vague idea of the final composition. A fun approach I use sometimes.

Ink pen and pencil drawing — This is the initial stage of the drawing. I used Canson 220 paper – a wonderful drawing surface for different types of media. Here it looks like it has a tinge of green, but it is actually a warm white.

I then built up layers of colour washes, and pencil work. A real help can be a little white gouache. Lately I’ve used a white paint called “Bleed-Proof White” Luma, by Daler-Rowney. This is excellent for some correction work, though it is classed as “harmful if swallowed” and an “eye irritant”….so care must be taken.

All the birds are delightful visitors, though the Cockatoos can be somewhat naughty at times! I do know the names of some of our visitors: Rainbow Lorikeet, Galahs, Crimson Parakeet, Bronze Wing Dove… When we are sitting on the verandah, a few come up quite close, in particular the Australian King Parrots.

We always have water out for them, and encourage their visits with sprinklings of wildbird seed. With all the dry weather, I think it doesn’t hurt to feed them a little… This article here, talks about the pros and cons of feeding wildbirds. I’ll try to take a snap of them together, and share it here.

To finish, the sketch below was one of those quick, not sure where it was going drawings…liked the looseness in it.