Every morning, this Northern House Wren sings the loveliest burbling song in my garden. His ebullient music drifts in through the open windows and lifts my heart. I took the photo below the other morning to use as a reference so I could add him to my spring nature journal.
I started with a light pencil sketch, then layed in the browns & grays of his plumage, touching in some ultramarine blue for darker shadows. I mixed burnt sienna, burnt umber and ultramarine blue to create the grays. Warm azo yellow created the bold yellow of his beak, and I used yellow ochre, burnt sienna and ultramarine blue in the stick he's clinging to.
Next, I painted the entire background area with clean water, being careful to work around the wren and his stick. Then, I touched in mixtures of Hooker's green dark, sap green, ultramarine blue, and azo yellow.
I finished the sketch with my black fountain pen -- adding a few lines and the wren's eye, and used some Prismacolor colored pencils on the stick and a white gel pen to create the spots in the wren's plumage.
When I'm painting animals or other fleeting subjects, I like to work from a reference photo. It allows me to luxuriate some time on the details.
Somehow, this little guy looks like he's yelling! I think I got his posture a little off -- a reminder to me to keep stepping back early in the sketching process.
What is going on around you in nature? I hope you get to take some time to record your observations in a nature journal!
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