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Ospreys - November 2021

I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING

This year's realistic bird piece is based on a photograph by Justin Streeb (recreated with permission). I highly encourage you to check out his portfolio! He captures wildlife brilliantly and and the colour compositions are on another level. His photos would make beautiful prints in any home, and I hope to draw from more of his work in the future!

His photography can be found at: justinstreeb.smugmug.com/

Anyone familiar with my artwork knows that 99% of the time, I stick to cartoons, and even then I'm not drawing animals. Realism is something that I love to look at but find far too tedious to actually do. Spending hour upon hour on the tiniest, subtlest details? Things that no one will notice if I do but will notice it's off if I don't? Not my cup of tea, no thank you, return to sender. Once a year, however, I do a realistic bird drawing as a gift for a dear friend of mine - the only person I would torture myself so much for. (No exaggeration, I just gave someone a kidney but I wouldn't draw realism for them. He's the only one.) He had ospreys nesting in his back yard this year so I knew this was the perfect picture to commemorate the 'new neighbours.'

And boy was it a doozy! The photo is gorgeous, but I've never drawn multiple birds in a single piece before, and the out-of-focus nest was so far out of my comfort zone I nearly gave up and chose a different photo to draw. But I REALLY loved this photo - tenderness is not something often captured with birds of prey - so I loaded up on caffeine and sugar and spent the next week trying not to scream.

In the end, I'm over the moon with it. Looking at the border of the chick it actually looks like definition between in focus and out of focus and I just...*squishes cheeks* I'm happy with it. It is by no means a perfect recreation of the photo (putting them side by side I see lots of things that aren't quite right), but on its own I'm absolutely thrilled to see what I was able to accomplish. I do wish I had captured the blurred wood pieces a little better, but that's something I can work on for next year (or avoid at all costs ). But the feather details in the parent's face? *chef's kiss* By golly, I think I actually accomplished something here.

But next year there's going to be ONE BIRD.

I'm going to go back to drawing fat cartoon chickadees for the next week. If anyone needs me I'll be on the couch with a horror movie, trying to scoop my melted brain back into my skull.

I will be selling 6x8 (original size) prints. Please let me know if you're interested so I know how many to order! Prints will be $10 each or 3 for $25. Shipping is $6 within Canada, $8 to the US.

Done with Copic markers with Polychromos detailing on 6"x8" Strathmore marker paper.

Free for another yeeeeeeeear...

Description

Ospreys - November 2021

I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING

This year's realistic bird piece is based on a photograph by Justin Streeb (recreated with permission). I highly encourage you to check out his portfolio! He captures wildlife brilliantly and and the colour compositions are on another level. His photos would make beautiful prints in any home, and I hope to draw from more of his work in the future!

His photography can be found at: justinstreeb.smugmug.com/

Anyone familiar with my artwork knows that 99% of the time, I stick to cartoons, and even then I'm not drawing animals. Realism is something that I love to look at but find far too tedious to actually do. Spending hour upon hour on the tiniest, subtlest details? Things that no one will notice if I do but will notice it's off if I don't? Not my cup of tea, no thank you, return to sender. Once a year, however, I do a realistic bird drawing as a gift for a dear friend of mine - the only person I would torture myself so much for. (No exaggeration, I just gave someone a kidney but I wouldn't draw realism for them. He's the only one.) He had ospreys nesting in his back yard this year so I knew this was the perfect picture to commemorate the 'new neighbours.'

And boy was it a doozy! The photo is gorgeous, but I've never drawn multiple birds in a single piece before, and the out-of-focus nest was so far out of my comfort zone I nearly gave up and chose a different photo to draw. But I REALLY loved this photo - tenderness is not something often captured with birds of prey - so I loaded up on caffeine and sugar and spent the next week trying not to scream.

In the end, I'm over the moon with it. Looking at the border of the chick it actually looks like definition between in focus and out of focus and I just...*squishes cheeks* I'm happy with it. It is by no means a perfect recreation of the photo (putting them side by side I see lots of things that aren't quite right), but on its own I'm absolutely thrilled to see what I was able to accomplish. I do wish I had captured the blurred wood pieces a little better, but that's something I can work on for next year (or avoid at all costs ). But the feather details in the parent's face? *chef's kiss* By golly, I think I actually accomplished something here.

But next year there's going to be ONE BIRD.

I'm going to go back to drawing fat cartoon chickadees for the next week. If anyone needs me I'll be on the couch with a horror movie, trying to scoop my melted brain back into my skull.

I will be selling 6x8 (original size) prints. Please let me know if you're interested so I know how many to order! Prints will be $10 each or 3 for $25. Shipping is $6 within Canada, $8 to the US.

Done with Copic markers with Polychromos detailing on 6"x8" Strathmore marker paper.

Free for another yeeeeeeeear...