Buttnekkiddoodles

Had a one-on-one teaching session at the Field Museum yesterday. What with the downpour, it was a perfect day to spend drawing among the incredible dioramas and collection on a crowd free day. We parked ourselves by wading birds for most of the lesson. This little beauty is a Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis), smallest of the Ardeidae family which includes cranes, egrets, and herons. Unlike their larger cousins the herons, which nest in trees, these stealthy rascals nest among the reeds. I’ve seen these patient avians on the prowl at the edge of the pond by the Farm At The Zoo in Lincoln Park. My drawing is most likely a female, the one I saw had a greenish back which I believe is the coloration of the males. But don’t go by me, ask the good folks at the Field Museum next time you’re there drawing. They can be heard making a soft cooing sound (the birds, not the museum staff) early in the day and around dusk and have lovely plumage with a fluffy breast. The satiny sheen on which was part of my lesson where I emphasized awareness of light source and how highlights, shadow, and directional marks help describe form and volume. Perched atop legs scrawnier than mine, with long boney toes tipped with toenails long overdue for a clipping they may at first glance appear petite and bit awkward. But trust me, watch them for a while, they are a study in grace and cocked threat. With chopsticks for lips in constant dine mode; what frogs, fish and small critters won’t live long enough to tell you….these babies are Killers!
I’ve also included a couple quick demo pages I did while explaining my process. Guess you had to be there…
Drawn with fountain pen & Pitt Artist Pens on a Stillman & Birn Delta sketchbook. If interested in one-on-one classes or online/in person group sessions, contact me by leaving a message here or thru email – doc51854@gmail.com.

 

Yesterday I ventured to the magnificent Field Museum of Natural History with my pal Sarah Fields. I brought along a small Landscape format sketchbook by Clairefontaine which could handle light washes and had a modest tooth that would contribute to the drawing’s textures. The last drawing of the day was the view of the Pterodactyl from the second floor. I knew once I got upstairs that the sketch had to include to view down to the main hall and the  view of the second sooty hall but, time ran out on me before I could develop the left side of the page. Time is always a consideration when drawing on sight. Therefore, prioritizing the key elements with enough information to put those in context and holding back on those elements/features best left to the viewers imagination or another session.

 

The Woodchuck/Marmot was sketched using water soluble Graphite Pencils which seemed quite suitable for the dirty furriness of the Marmot.

Wintering in Chicago with a brief jaunt to NYC. The above drawing is in the Field Museum in Chicago during an outing with about 40+ Chicago based Urban Sketchers. Drawn with Faber-Castell Pitt Pens and fountain pen, plus White Pitt Pen and white China Marker.

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The chair that resembles a baseball mitt was by the Men and Women’s lavatories in the Oyster Bar beneath the main concourse of Grand Central Terminal, followed by pictures of that and police officers in the GCT lobby. The three drawings of animals are from the exquisite dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History.