Quick Sketches and Bird Photos

*A quick pencil sketch of our dog Seth, in one of my hand-made sketchbooks. Then, in the Procreate app, I’ve added a little colour and a tiny bit more pencil. I also used the smudge tool.

As you can see in the original sketch below, not much is changed. I may draw more graphite pencil on it, and add some coloured pencil.

I like to use lots of line, and then whittle back into them to refine the drawing. I think it can add interest to leave some expressive linework visible, but sometimes I overdo the refining!

When I’ve given drawing classes I always encourage people to use light pencil lines, till decisions about their final placement are made. Usually you can avoid using an eraser that way. I did use the eraser here, with some accidental smudging occurring. Thought it looked alright so left it like that. Not a finished drawing.

I’m quickly filling up my handmade sketchbooks. I particularly enjoy working in these very small sizes. I share more about them here.

I did a sketch from a photo I had taken of one our visiting Australian King Parrots. Though it’s not quite right….yet to be finished. It was perched on some twiggy part of a pot plant on the verandah, so I found the feet hard to see – that’s my excuse anyway. 🙂

This is about 7cm x 10cm. I used a small piece of Fabriano extra white, 100% hot pressed, cotton watercolour paper. I’m trying out various (good quality) papers that take both wet and dry media well – for mixed media works. The surface of this paper is quite pleasant to work on with graphite and coloured pencil. I’ll use it again.

I managed to get some snaps of the wide selection of birds that come by our way, as I said I’d try to do in my previous post. And here’s the link again about the pros and cons of feeding wild birds.

Except for the very occasional quick squabble over the scattered seed, they all get on really well – impressive.

Due to the long awaited recent rain, we finally have green grass again!

This piece of concrete has been well used over the years: for small tricycles, skateboarding, as a cricket pitch, for basketball…

P.s Sadly, our other dog, Bob, died late last year. Seth is 17, getting plenty of attention – as always. (*Sadly, the following year, since writing this, Seth has also passed away. He was near on 18) and like us, slowly getting used to not having Bob around. He was 18 – a good long life; a much loved part of our family. You can see a drawing I did of Bob here.

Thanks for visiting!