Alex Warnick- Natural History Artist
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Sketching a Curlew

7/15/2015

6 Comments

 
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When I was in college I heard a specific adjective used again and again to describe my work:  Mushy.  Webster’s definition:  “Soft and pulpy”.  In other words, I used six or seven sketchy lines when one was enough, I oversimplified my contours, my values were messy, etc.  I was thinking on my paper instead of in my head.  Since then, I’ve been on a quest to “sharpen” my drawing skills.

One of the biggest inspirations in accomplishing my goal has been the work of Ray Harris-Ching, New Zealand bird artist.  Here are a few of his sketches:
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He is a master at capturing minute detail without sacrificing the overall values of the form.  I struggle to capture these basic values (highlight, halftone, core-shadow, etc.) when they’re hidden beneath a web of feather patterns.  So I practice.  Yesterday I sketched a curlew, beginning with the contours:
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Already my drawing looks over-simplified when compared to Ray Ching's sketches.  To finish I drew in the intricate feather pattern, shaded the form, and darkened any details that fell into shadow (in that order).  Here’s my final sketch:

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And now here's a side-by-side of mine (turned black and white) and one of Raymond Ching's so you can compare the level of detail:
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His ability to capture minute shifts in contours and value contrast wins against mine hands down.  You can only draw as well as you can see, so I'll keep working on seeing that hyper-detail.  Until next time!
6 Comments
Von Fedoroff
7/16/2015 03:12:42 am

What a great post.. Both of these drawing examples are excellent (imho) but I tbink I see what you mean.. very interesting. Thanks for posting this!

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Alex Warnick
7/16/2015 02:23:01 pm

Thanks Von! I'm glad you could see what I was talking about, and that you found it interesting. I appreciate it!

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Bryony
11/10/2015 01:04:00 pm

Do you know the organization Artists for Nature out of the Netherlands? They produce books of the artist retreats they send nature artists on--Alaska, India, Africa. The foundation invites and pays for artists (painters mostly, of both wildlife and landscapes) There are wonderful nature artists who took part in those trips--John Busby (who did mostly birds), Andrew Haslan, Thomas Quinn, David Barker. Sadly not a lot of femaile artists are represented in these books but then the books draw mostly from the old guard of artists--you were probably just a tyke when most of these trips took place (I was a tween myself). If you can find the books online they are worth the investment for the inspiration in the field that they induce.

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https://bestwritingclues.com/reviews/essay-company-review/ link
2/1/2019 02:08:46 am

Your sketching capacity is really excellent. In this kind of art, discipline isa really important. If you don't know how to control the level of stories for the artwork you are working on, it will be hard for you to get the artwork that you want to accomplish. It was a no longer a surprise for me that you cam up with such artwork. In the first place, I know your style in drawing and it has always been amazing! I am hoping that you will post more artwork of yours!

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Alex
2/1/2019 05:15:53 pm

Thank you for the encouraging words! I hope to do more drawing in the near future!

Reply
Christine link
10/29/2023 02:25:28 am

Great blog you have hhere

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