Getting a Line on Shading

In some of today's Scratches, I tried to use drawing pencils of varying softnesses, and to incorporate shading and value gradations. What I seem to have achieved is still a lot of middle tone. Perhaps I need to go 6B or softer to get darks that aren't forced...

If you'd like to see a great sketcher at work in this regard, go see Victor Ambrus' book Drawing Animals. It's a wonderful compilation of his sketches from life of animals as he observed them. We're all duffers compared to him when it comes to sketching from life, and maintaining energy in line while incorporating value and focus areas...

Gesture

More gesture drawings.
The process reminds me a bit of figure drawing class, when they'd have us draw the model doing quick gesture poses, the model changing pose every minute. You'd have to keep a lightning hand and quick eye in order to capture something of truth about the pose.

And just like those classes, Chicken and Duck Figure Drawing has models that move constantly! So a lot of the drawings end up looking like scribbles! But, with practice, the drawings can sometimes have a bit of energy and life to them-- life that can be lacking in the more extended poses, which allow for too much "tightness."

Buddy the Buff Silkie Rooster in Glorious Color!

Well, I figured I'd liven things up a bit by trying to use colored pencils when sketching the chickens today.

I chose to sketch Buddy because he's got great color (we think he looks like a glam rocker from the 80s!).

He doesn't stand very still, however, so I had to sketch a bit, and then walk around to the same angle I had on him before he'd move, and sketch a bit more. Move and sketch, move and sketch. I'm sure if he knew what I was doing, he'd pose for me. He's got quite an ego, you know...!

I also took a quick pencil to the dust bath hen pile that was going on at the edge of the yard. The ladies love to lounge in the dirt, especially on a nice day or after the sun comes out after the rain, like today.

It's fun to draw this subject, because the line and shape are so jumbled and visually interesting. It makes your hand move quickly, too, and you have to express more than you record, so to speak.

Duck Gesture Drawings

Today's Scratch-- basically gesture drawings of our Runner Ducks which tend, like most creatures, to move around a lot, making detailed, elegant drawings impossible!

The Silkies of Painted Acres

Here are some scratches, er, sketches, of the Silkies we have running around on "Painted Acres" (it's what we like to call our little property out here in "Spotsyltucky."

Here's today's scratch-- one of our Runner Ducks, "Snow White" ("Snowy" usually) and "Oreo," our top rooster (thinks he's "cock of the walk"):

21 May 2014 Kiddie Pool!

 Splashing about the kiddie pool bath...

More scratching, of course...

Holly, our very poofy Buff Silkie, and the ducks, almost living to type:

Duck Piles and Silkies, 18 and 19 May 2014

Ducks seem to like to hang out with each other, just like some of the hens. I think a group of ducks on the ground is called a flock or a "badling," while on the water it's called a "paddling."
I just like to call it a "duck pile."

The Hedonist Hens of Hensylvania

Here's a short video of our "Ladies" as they lounge around in the back yard:

The Muppet Show: Veterinarian's Hospital - Duck

An Idea, Hatched.

So I've got 15 chickens. And four ducks.
So I have to free range them everyday.
And I'm an artist. I should make it a habit to sketch more...
HEY, why don't I sketch them while they're free ranging, socializing, dust bathing, etc.?
AND SO, AN IDEA WAS HATCHED!
I would do a regular posting of my "Chicken Scratches," the daily sketches I do of my chickens and ducks, as we go through life together, winging it and putting it all on my bill...

My very first "chicken scratch," a life sketch attempt of our pullets while they were dust bathing...

A watercolor of a silkie for my wife on our 12th anniversary...

Did I mention we have duck? They're "runner" ducks. They stand upright and run rather than waddle.

 "Buddy," one of two of our Silkie roosters... (I should do a color sketch of him. He's buff and black and gold...quite a handsome dude).

"Pepper" and "Rainbow" 

Runner Ducks can sit funny as well as lie down like regular ducks... the chicken sketch is of "Penny," our little hatchling of six weeks ago, a Delaware.