15/11/2020
During the first lockdown in spring 2020 I decided to try and develop my drawing and water colour skills by producing fast 15 minute studies of birds with permanent ink, using my own photographs as inspiration. Once drawn I then applied the water colour quickly. What was there after 15 minutes became the outcome. I was strict with the rules. I then asked people to nominate a bird which I then painted for them and they then donated a small fee to Willow Wood Hospice, a locally run charity to help people with life limiting illnesses, receive top quality palliative care.
I produced in total 104 water colours and managed to raise close to £1500 for Willow Wood thanks to the generosity of local bird lovers. I have included a small sample of those paintings here.
These pictures helped in someway towards a type of spontaneous style that I am aiming for. I now aim to use this style but with a few amendments to the process. I intend to spend 45 minutes on these now. The idea is to get the proportions more accurate in pencil first but to still apply the paint in the same manner. This will give me that bit more time to add vegetation and put the birds in a bit of a setting. I may also be able to have time to paint in a reflection if the bird is on water or add finer detailing in more cryptic bird plumage, all the while trying to still maintain the freshness with spontaneity of brush strokes.
If anyone would like to commission me to paint a bird of their choice I am charging £30 each for these in what I am calling the 45 Minute Bird Painting Challenge.
I will paint any bird requested and post the paintings back free of charge if you live in the UK. I look forward to seeing how this new challenge will develop.
Thanks, Paul.