All sorts of painting ideas currently on the go. These birds have attitude!
WIP Birds
Bird Crazy – Hawks and Roosters
Author Archives: DianeY
#Rook & #Wagtail
Sandwich hunter Rook from Dartmoor.
Stumpy the Pied Wagtail, who takes half-board at the Hengrove Park Leisure Centre.
Landscape Sketch
Years have passed since I painted a natural landscape and now having watched a demo by watercolour artist John Bailey at my local art club I was inspired to emulate what he had done by using the same sample photo that John used to create his painting but using my usual medium acrylic paints. It’s a good way to firmly apply the demo to memory!
Compare & Contrast with #Cows
Highland Cows in the Cotswolds
Having visited Scotland last year I have seen Highland Cattle in fields in their native country, yet my own photos of Highland Cows are taken very near my home in the Cotswolds where they roam free over hundreds of acres of natural land during the summer months.
Sometimes they just stand on the road and the traffic have to wait for them to move. I love that these cows are extremely docile and have characterful & steadfast faces.
Nosey Highland Cow and Tonal Variation
A helpful way to review tonal variation in a painting is to take a black and white photo. If you are struggling with a painting and cannot quite figure out h
ow to fix it a quick snapshot can point out problems in this area. My black and white photo here shows a good range of darks through to white. There was just a bit of light shadow to add to the face to finish.
Gloucestershire Old Spot #Pig Painting
….thanks to Boondockers Farm in Oregon for permission to use their photo. These pigs were imported to the US during the 1900’s for breeding. “British folklore claims the large black spots are bruises caused by the apples falling onto them as they foraged the orchard floors for food.”
Dartmoor #Rook Painting
Rooks hang around the parking spots on Dartmoor, making cheeky chirpy noises at the visitors in the hope of some sandwich crumbs….
Rainy Day Bird Feeder: #Blackcap Painting
Bingo! Birds are arriving at my feeders today. I espied a Blackcap on the bush as he was pecking at the fat ball with such a cute hair do! 
Bird Feeder: Blue Tit or Chickadee
In North America these cute birds are called Chickadees..
Bird Feeder : Peanuts for the Great Tit
I wonder often how to anchor my art ideas down. There is so much to choose from when it comes to making a picture .But at the start of this year my paint sketches have the anchor that is my own experience in a given day.
I set up a lovely looking bird feeding stand in the summer, only to solemnly and regularly dump the rejected rotting food in the bin for a fresh supply in the hope that at some point the local bird community might regard my garden as an OK place to feast on sunflower heart seeds, niger seeds, suet balls, and peanuts, it has all been there with no takers.
Finally as the weather cooled to winter some birds have found the bird food acceptable. Although it all still seems a bit sporadic.
The Great Tit has been to the feeder in the tree, so here is a quick painting sketch of a Great Tit to complement my success.
Day of Play #Harris’s #Hawk
Some people say Worcester Sauce when they should say Worcestershire Sauce, some people say Harris Hawk when they should call this bird a Harris’s hawk and has something to do with it being named after an ornithologist called, yes you guessed, Harris.
This was my final painting of my Day of Play using texture in the body of the bird.
Day Of Play #Penguin #Painting
This painting was on cartridge paper which is not as satisfying a using watercolour paper. Still it was good to test out the shapes, colour and composition.
A Day of Play #Falcon #Painting
Attempt number two for the day …more textures and layers on this Hobby, an aerialist falcon taking its prey on the wing.
A Day of Play #Peacock #Painting
Playing with paint sounds like fun but for me it usually ends with frustration, perhaps because I am not really concentrating or taking it seriously and I finish up with a number of sketchy paintings which I really do not like. I have taught myself to try to ignore this feeling as the act of being undisciplined and attempting to have fun leads to discovering new ways of doing things. So today I have been having some “fun” with textures.
Nosey Trio #Animal #Paintings
Animal Art available by Diane Young of Manic Illustrations!
Nosey Sheep
Nosey Highland Cow
Nosey Horse
The #Whale and The Golden Moon
From this sketch;
To the Painting Below.
The Whale and The Golden Moon
with a little gold leaf.
Diane Young Artist 