Goldfinch Watercolour Sketches

Goldfinchs - watercolour in cheap 15 x 21cm sketchbook

Sunflowers for art and birds

We seem to have more birds than ever visiting our Tuscan garden. I tried in vain to feed them during the winter but none showed interest in my plastic feeder of mixed seed. This spring HWEM planted some small sunflowers for me to paint and now they are going to seed I finally have birds feeding right outside my window. I am really excited about the beautiful goldfinches and am spending a considerable amount of time watching them through a tiny pair of binoculars that were a giveaway at the Stingers launch years ago.

My Nikon 18-55mm lens isn't any good for birds so when I do get a photo I still have to do a lot of guessing about colour and detail. I'm sketching the goldfinches from a combination of photo and life, hoping that I'll become so familiar with their form I will eventually be able to make quick sketches from life.

Nesting Pigeon Watercolour Sketch

Watercolour & Gouache pen sketch on grey paper

There are pigeons nesting opposite our living room window. It's causing me a great deal of anxiety because the foolish couple built their nest on top of lethal spikes placed on the window sill to discourage such nesting and resting. Now there is at least one squab in the nest, I saw a tiny head for a fraction of a second, and I'm terribly worried about how the babies are going to get across the spikes to learn to fly.

I know many of you don't like pigeons but as I've said before I have a soft spot for them, probably because they are the only birds that will sit still long enough for me to sketch them. Nobody around here wants to give them a home unless it's to fatten them to eat.

Not much of a photo but the best I can do without a bigger lens.

Montecchio Vesponi Castle watercolour

Watercolour 20cm x 20cm

This is my second attempt at this view of Montecchio as seen from the garden of a beautiful agriturismo in the Val de Chio. Doesn't seemt to matter how I approach it, it still looks like a greeting card. Oh well, I guess that is the price one pays for living in Postcard Land.