Birds of prey

I was going call this post 'Old World Vultures' as I really like how that sounds, but to be honest, I'm not sure what the difference is between Old and New World Vultures. I think the vulture at the top is from North or South America (probably 'Old World') and the bird below is an African Fish Eagle (probably 'New'). I'm too much of a bird brain myself to work it out!

Drawing that turkey before Christmas is what set me off. I was watching some fabulous programmes about birds in flight and one followed the Condor. (And really followed, with camera atttached on it's back!) Well, I always assumed Condors were eagles, beautiful and majestic, but seeing one up close, they looked very ugly, like turkeys on testosterone! So, naturally, I had to do some digging around on the differences between eagles and vultures...That's what I love about drawing, it opens your eyes to all sorts of things you think you know and have seen but actually you don't see at all until you draw them!

Drawn with HB and B pencils in my 6x8" Winsor & Newton journal (post showing similar here).

Sketching like a loon

Ah, if only! I can sketch an actual loon though! This lovely creature caught my eye on TV and after a bit of Googling, I think it's a Red-Throated Loon. It has really striking red eyes too. There will definitely be a few more TV sketches to come, I'd forgotten how much I enjoy it and it fills pages quickly.

I'm starting to enjoy filling these two sketchbooks now. The guilt of having too many half finished sketchbooks is ebbing away page by page. Above, on the right, a little dog drawn from an image in a free calendar that was put in the postbox, and left, a drawing of my messy bed. Drawing before you even get out of bed is a great way to start the day!

Doodles

From my 'doodle sketchbook' a couple of months ago. I'm trying to come up with a leaf design to make a little quilt, or at least maybe a fabric card, just so I can play with beads and threads. It takes me an age to come up with something I'm happy with because of the million and one combinations of colours, fabrics, designs, layouts etc. It usually results in a meltdown and nothing at all being produced! In the process, I was Googling leaf designs for inspiration and realised that the ones I draw in my doodle sketchbook are more interesting!

The pages of the sketchbook are a hodge podge of things usually, and not pretty enough to share, but I've found that they are very interesting to look back on. I include things like whatever is in front of me, something on the TV at the time or a view out the window. One of the pages contains a sketch of a tree with  Mont Salève in the background. Now I look at it and I can see how much that tree has grown in height over the summer compared to the line of the mountain! A couple of weeks ago we had a quite a severe storm and one of the trees I drew in another sketchbook now has broken branches as much of it is dead or dying. I wonder if it will now be cut down and disappear from our view?

The new year is naturally a time of taking stock over the previous year and looking forward to the one ahead. My inspiration was very low over 2011 but looking back I see little reminders that it actually wasn't all bad. Even though the doodle sketchbook isn't pretty, it can contain some little gems that are revealed given a bit of time. I think a small and manageable resolution should include filling this book a little faster!