Tags
birds, Brazil, color sketch, Cormorant, Kingfisher, Red Cardinal
Playing around with another image technique where bird wildlife is the subject has resulted in some nice illustrative color sketches that seem to work for me.
I’ve also used a virtual frame around each one hopefully to compliment the subject and without taking away the point of interest (something that is all too easy to do when selecting frames).
Giant Kingfisher - Brazil
Used a plain white frame here as the image is a fairly weak color style and with a hint of monochrome sketch. From an original photograph I took in Brazil when visiting the Amazon and the Pantanal some years ago. Added gentle coloration to the bird which is actually a rather superb fluorescent deep green green with a white throat and large dark head, just to liven up the mono look of the illustration.
Perched on an old fence post swamped in the river and an overcast day reflected in the grey water, I used color pencil shading as cover for the entire background.
Cormorant - Brazil
Still on the Amazon I used a favorite photograph as the basis for this color pencil style illustration. Perched on a dead tree stump in the green water the bird, as they do, it was twisted around to look back along the river at something that had caught the eye, which made for a slightly unusual pose. Again used a virtual frame which hopefully suits the subject.
Red Cardinal
Another wonderful bird which happened to be sitting on a tree branch close to a house with a rather smart reddish painted wall, which just seemed to fit nicely with this superb bird. Again color pencil style background to give the setting and then pencil work on the bird itself to complete the image. Another frame to set the illustration off and give some impression of how the picture would look on the wall in the lounge or gallery.
I’m doing a little series of these with around 20 birds from around the world, with the actual photo (or a photo) image on the same page to illustrate it properly and then a description of the bird, habitat and so on. So far they’re looking quite good and I’m fairly pleased with it, though I still have to manage another 14 to complete the set.
If it’s successful I’ll see about adding another 20 later in the year.
I like the technique you use very much, they give your drawings their very own style
! I would have left them un-framed, though, but maybe that’s because I’m generally not too much into frames 
.
I know how you feel, many of my friends are “unframed” lovers. I like both but always try
to imagine the work full size on my wall (as many of them end up) and invariably these are
framed – so – I try them virtually before that happens. But glad you like them and thanks
for viewing.
such a amazing artwork…..