The Garden Birds project, next drawings

Here are the next two drawings in my ongoing inky Garden Birds project - starling and blue tit.

The Garden Birds Project

Each year I keep a list of all the birds that I see or hear from the house or garden here in Cambridgeshire. Many I see year after year, and others I might spot one year and not another. I thought it might be fun to have a drawing project - ink drawings of all the birds that have made it onto my list over the years.

So for starters, here are the first two bird species I spotted this year - wood pigeon Columba palumbus and house sparrow (male) Passer domesticus.

I'm doing all these drawings in a Stillman & Birn Epsilon series sketchbook, the 5.5 by 8.5 inch size, and I'm using Faber Castell Pitt artist pens and Uni Pin fineliners.



Two down, many more to go!

Magpie post-mortem study

I found this unfortunate bird (European Magpie, Pica pica) on a farm track near where I live. I don't know what caused its demise - it has no apparent injuries, but it does seem a bit thin perhaps. Anyway, I took the opportunity to do a pencil study. Hoping to complete a watercolour study at some point too. Various graphite pencils in a Stillman & Birn zeta journal, 8 by 12 inch.

Blackbird skull studies

From my slowly growing collection of 'nature table' items! Graphite and ink studies of a blackbird skull.

The remains of tulips

A guest staying with us a couple of weeks back very kindly gave me some tulips, which were gorgeous while they were flowering. Once they were past their best they were all the more interesting to draw!

Watercolour and coloured pencil, Stillman & Birn zeta sketchbook.

Common reed

The first day of 2017 in my part of Cambridgeshire was cold, grey and wet. I decided to go for a quick run and discovered just how cold and wet it really was, battling through a headwind of horizontal freezing rain (who thought that was a good idea?!!) Back home I had a nice warm shower, got myself a cup of tea and settled down for a bit of drawing...

This is (I think) a Common reed (Phragmites communis) which I picked up when I last visited Wicken Fen a few weeks back. Coloured pencils in my Stillman & Birn zeta nature journal sketchbook, which is slowly getting filled up...

A happy New Year to all, here's to a healthy, peaceful and productive 2017!

Peaches in the wood pile

Watercolour and coloured pencil studies of Wrinkled Peach mushrooms (Rhodotus palmatus)

More pics and info over on on Cambridgeshire nature notes!

Dunnock post-mortem study

Dunnock post-mortem study, pencil and coloured pencils in my Stillman & Birn zeta sketchbook. More about this bird over on my other blog Cambridgeshire nature notes!

Wood mouse studies

I had another opportunity, via the cat, to study some local wildlife - this is a wood mouse.

Pencil and watercolour in the Stillman & Birn zeta journal, which is slowly but surely being filled up!

Kestrel study

I was out cycling the other day when I noticed this unfortunate juvenile kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) dead at the side of the road, presumably a victim of a collision with a vehicle. As soon as I got home I grabbed a plastic bag, jumped in the car and went back to retrieve it. What a beautiful bird. Don't feel like I've done it justice really.

Watercolour and pencil, in a Stillman & Birn zeta sketchbook.

Chaffinch study

Here's a couple of pencil and watercolour studies of a female chaffinch.

Pygmy shrew watercolour studies

Yet another gift from the cat has provided a subject for some studies. This is a pygmy shrew, common across northern Europe. Tiny!

Pygmy shrew studies

Field vole study

Well, the cat brought me a non-too-delightful present in the form of a field vole, so I took the opportunity to do a few pencil/watercolour studies.

Water shrew studies

Some quick studies of a water shrew. A volunteer doing pond dipping at the local nature reserve  found this recently deceased beastie. I took it home and managed a few quick studies but it was getting a bit whiffy... Did you know it has venomous saliva? Wonderful to find, I have never seen one before!

Cowslip in watercolour

Here's another addition to my (ahem) occasional natural world journal, a cowslip.
http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/species/cowslip
These are growing in large numbers on the roadside verges locally. Once they would have covered entire meadows...

Rabbit skull drawing

Been meaning to get around to this for ages - drawings of a rabbit skull that I picked up from the hills in Yorkshire last summer. Another one for the 'natural world' journal.

Pencil studies in Stilman and Birn zeta sketchbook.

Conkers!

At last, a new drawing in my somewhat neglected natural world journal...

These are conkers - the fruits of the horse chestnut tree. A sure sign that autumn is here! The top drawing was done with coloured pencils, and the bottom group is in watercolour. Nice to explore the different qualities of these media!

Aloe flowers and clematis

Hello again!

Here are the next two studies in my 'natural world' sketchbook project.

 The first is a flower spike on one of our Aloe plants, on the windowsill.

And next, the clematis growing in the back garden.

Slowly filling the lovely Stillman & Birn sketchbook up!

Fungi from the garden

Fungi from the garden, growing in the lawn round about where we (that's the 'royal we' ;)) chop logs. Don't know what they are - there's a couple of elderly specimens, plus a couple of youngsters.

Dog roses for the natural world journal

Next page in the natural world journal, this time it's dog roses - when the swifts are screaming in the sky and the dog roses are blooming, then it's definitely summer! These were from a hedgerow out in the farmland here.

Still loving the Stillman & Birn sketchbook/journal, these will be on my Christmas wish list this year for sure!