Female Black-throated Blue Warbler Pencil Sketch p70
Black-throated Blue Warblers are gorgeous birds. As is typical with most birds, the males are the the real show-stoppers, with these boasting stark white, deep black and bright blue. The females are fairly drab by comparison, but like Wood Ducks, once you really study them, you realize they are absolutely beautiful in their subtlety.
This sketch is from photos I took from our kitchen window. We had a female Black-throated Blue moving through during spring migration a few years ago, and she exhibited the strangest behavior. She repeatedly came to eat out of the jelly feeder we had set up for Baltimore Orioles! I guess she had a sweet tooth. I’ve really been amazed at how many birds visit the jelly feeders. We expect to see Baltimore Orioles, Gray Catbirds and American Robins, but that’s just the beginning of the list.
Here are others that have visited our jelly feeders:
- Orchard Oriole
- Tufted Titmouse
- Black-capped Chickadee
- House Finch
- House Sparrow
- House Wren
- Chipmunk
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak
- Black-throated Blue Warbler (photos below)
May Birding Trips
I never get much painting done in May. With so many spring migrants moving through Michigan, we spend all of our spare time looking for birds. We did a few quick trips to Ottawa NWR and Magee Marsh Wildlife Area (aka Crane Creek) in northern Ohio as well as Waterloo State Recreation Area and Shiawassee NWR in Michigan. In early June we hit Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We saw an incredible variety of amazing birds and, for the most part, had pleasant weather. Now that migration is over we are sorting through hundreds of photos from the trips. While there were countless memorable moments during these trips, the bird highlight for me was finding my first Brewster’s Warbler.
The low point was wading through the crowds at Magee Marsh. I’m conflicted. I like the fact that people are interested in birds, but it was wall-to-wall people at times on the boardwalk. You could barely get through or see much of anything. In the places where it thinned out we were treated to great birds—sometimes too close to focus your camera on. I am not a fan of crowds, and this certainly qualified.
Bear with me for a few minutes of grumpy old man mode. I’ve been going to Magee Marsh since it was called Crane Creek… so about 20 years. I remember trips there as an alternative to viewing spring migration at Pt. Pelee, Ontario. We were treated to reasonably sized groups of enthusiastic birders from Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. As time went on we started seeing more professional photographers and birders. The introduction of the “Biggest Week in Birding” has really changed the atmosphere there. Though virtually everyone we were in contact with was pleasant, it has become too much of a good thing. Being stacked four-people deep at times trying to see one bird was sub-optimal.
While our daughter is big enough to fend for herself, we have an enthusiastic, skilled and conscientious 11-year old birder who was at one point grabbed by both shoulders and moved to the side by a complete stranger. Timmy is even keeled and seldom gets angry, but he was shooting laser beams out of his eyes for a few minutes. Fortunately he didn’t unleash his karate skills on them. (“Yes, Sensei. With power comes responsibility.”)
Despite the crowds our kids got some fantastic life birds during our spring trips. They missed a wayward Kirtland’s Warbler, a Mourning Warbler and some White Pelicans at Magee, but they got Hooded Warbler and Brewster’s among other goodies, rounding out the weekend with 4-5 new birds.
I think Waterloo, Michigan will become a regular spring destination. We had numerous Cerulean and Hooded Warblers there with loads of other good birds. On top of that, it is fairly close and the setting is beautiful.
Magnolia WarblerShiawassee NWR was a little less impressive than usual because the wildlife drive was closed. We went a week later than usual, so bird numbers were down. On the upside we got great looks at a Hooded Merganser with her chicks. That was way too cute.
Our last trip was to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It is a gorgeous location. I hadn’t been there in over 15 years. During our time there and in Traverse City, the kids added Golden-winged Warbler and Piping Plover to their lists. We had other cooperative birds as well, including a beautiful male Mourning Warbler. On the way home we briefly stopped by Gaylord, Michigan and added a Kirtland’s Warbler, a first for the kids. Timmy spotted a singing male and we heard at least three others. Not bad for a 15-minute break on the way back to Lansing. One more stop en route, and the kids also saw their first Black Tern. They are definitely pleased with the birds they added to their lists this spring.
Stay tuned… paintings are on the way!
Male Dark Phase Dimorphic Jumping Spider p69
This Spring has been great in Michigan. Our family keeps a running yard list of new migrants as they arrive. We also keep our eyes peeled for other early migrants and animals coming out of hibernation, like snakes, frogs, toads and butterflies. The first sunny day we had in the 50s I went out in search of jumping spiders and discovered a Zebra Jumper on the siding of the house. OK, I’m sure a certain percentage of you think I’m nuts for looking for them at all, never mind celebrating finding one. Anyhow, I was really happy to see the little guy. I’m not sure it found anything to eat, but it was nice to see it out hunting on a relatively warm day.
This sketch is of a Male dark phase Dimorphic Jumper. Although half of the males are supposed to be Dark Phase, I almost always find the grey ones around the house. They really look like a completely different species. Compare this guy to the light phase jumper here. Maybe they are just a bit better at hiding on our house? I’ve been itching to get good photos for a painting. Last summer I finally had some cooperative subjects. In this sketch I tried to introduce a bit more depth of field than what existed in the photos I took.
Photographing the jumping spiders is challenging and fun. Sometimes I shoot them in the yard where I find them. Other times I’ll carefully catch them and photograph them in a light tent that I have set up in the basement. Once their photo shoot is over, I’ll gently coax them back into a film canister and transport them back to the great outdoors. My indoor lighting setup has been evolving over the years. Currently I’m using a homemade diffuser tent made of PVC, wood and ripstop nylon with 3-4 flashes tripped by optical slaves. The tiny size of the jumping spiders has me using a Canon 100mm f2.8 macro with 20-68 mm of extension tubes. Typically I turn off the auto focus since the depth of field is razor thin. I achieve focus by moving the plants that the spider is sitting on. These little guys move pretty darn quickly, and getting a decent shot can take a long time.
My main goal with the tent is to get nice even lighting with very soft shadows. That can be hard to accomplish with macro photos since they require so much light. The extension tubes I use to gain magnification causes a further decrease in light. I’m typically shooting at ISO 200 at around f20 at 1/250th. Even at f22 there is almost no depth of field at this magnification. Some macrophotographers focus stack images, taking numerous images and then compositing them to get the sharpest parts of each photo. I spend enough time working in Photoshop for my day job. I prefer to do my editing in camera. As far as post processing in Photoshop, I occasionally crop images and frequently edit out dust on the sensor that is dramatically amplified with the extension tubes and high f stops. Otherwise the images you see are pretty much straight from the camera.
Throwback Thursday–Blackburnian Warbler on Black Cherry (Transparent Watercolor on 140lb HP Paper 7.5 x 7.5 in)
My wife’s favorite warbler is the Blackburnian. Its hard not to be won over by the beautiful “fire throat.” I’m looking forward to seeing some this spring!
American Robin on Crabapple Tree Painting: Transparent Watercolor & Time-lapse Video
I suppose this is truly a Michigan painting, since it combines our state bird and state flower in one work of art.
I really enjoyed working on this project. Robins are common enough to be overlooked by most people, but I try to study them with binoculars at least a few times every year. It never disappoints. Despite their sedate colors, they truly are spectacularly beautiful.
This time-lapse condenses 8 hours of painting into about 8 minutes. That doesn’t include any of the time spent photographing, sketching, transferring and masking off the paper.
Chipping Sparrow Painting: Transparent Watercolor and Time-lapse Video
Seeing the first Chipping Sparrow each spring puts a big smile on my face. These little guys always seem to be happy little bundles of energy. I’m sure they have nested on our spruce trees at some point, but I’ve never spied the nests. Their calls remind me of little sewing machines pumping away.
I got some great reference shots of Chipping Sparrows in our backyard. I chose to paint this one on a somewhat outrageous pink background instead of the sedate blurred green of my reference photo. It seemed like this would be a bit more dramatic, even though I’d be giving up some realism. I think it was worth it. Fall and spring are exciting times of year when you have the impression of being enveloped in crazy colors. Playing around with those intense pinks and purples sure is fun! This painting is a bit unusual because the subject is about the only thing on the page without saturated colors.
One of the most frequent questions artists get is, “How long did that take?” My timelapse video compressed almost 9 hours of painting into about 8 minutes. The time spent painting the bird was relatively short compared to the background, flowers and branch. This doesn’t include the time spent taking reference photos and doing sketches from those. The drawings alone probably took another two to three hours. The main sketch can be seen in this post.
Prints are available here.
Throwback Thursday: Belted Kingfisher on Birch
Around our house we call this painting the “Birch Perch.” This one has a bit of a history. I like the painting, but every time I look at it I feel a little sick to my stomach. Why? Here’s the “Readers Digest” version of the story:
I was commissioned by a mail-order outfit that caters to birders to create cover art for their catalog. (Ask me in person if you’d like to know exactly who it was.) They really liked some paintings I’d done of birds on birch trees but wanted a Belted Kingfisher for their cover. They had a very tight deadline and an even tighter budget. Over the years I’ve learned that this should set off the alarm bells. Typically it is a sign you’re dealing with someone who is going to be unprofessional. As an added “bonus,” they also tend to be the pickiest clients.
Today I’d walk away from the project. Nineteen years ago, I didn’t. I met my deadlines and delivered the final files. They loved the artwork. Unfortunately, loving it and paying for it are two very different things. I shot off some heated emails and made a few phone calls, but in the end they never paid me. So, when I look at this painting it reminds me of getting ripped off. The company is still around, but under new management. I’ll assume this sort of behavior is a thing of the past for their business, but I certainly won’t be ordering anything from them!
King Vulture – Pencil Sketch p68
The first time I laid eyes on a king vulture I thought it was one of the most spectacular birds I’d ever seen. Of course, with the shades of gray in this sketch, you kind of miss out on its stunning color! In actuality the bird has incredible fiery oranges, yellows and reds, complimented by subtle pale blue-grays and contrasted by smoky whites and black.
People are used to dramatic colors on peacocks, hummingbirds, parrots, warblers and ducks, but when they see those eye-popping colors on a vulture, it takes them a little by surprise. For many the word vulture conjures up images of an ugly, bald-headed undertaker-looking bird covered in entrails and carnage, but there are some attractive examples in the family that have very colorful heads and necks. Cinereous Vulture, Lammergeier, Andean Condors and others display some wild colors!
I hope to paint this guy soon so everyone can enjoy his beautiful palette. For now, black and white captures the form and dark mood well.
King Vultures are most closely related to the Andean Condors that, despite the size discrepancy, they closely resemble. King Vultures are native to South and Central America.
Eastern Phoebe on Staghorn Sumac: Transparent Watercolor and Ink PLUS Time-lapse Video
Some birds just seem to have a lot of natural charm. The Eastern Phoebe definitely falls into that category for me. Phoebes, like American Robins, are fairly tolerant of humans and will nest near houses, sheds and decks. My mother-in-law, who is one of the world’s greatest nature lovers, had one nesting in an addition that was being built on her house. I’ve found their nests under pedestrian bridges, trail signs and markers in the woods.
Seeing the first phoebe in our yard in the spring every year is a reason for celebration. Once the insectivores arrive, you know the weather is going to be nice for while! We mark of our FOY (First of the Year) yard birds on our wall calendar every year. I’m always amazed that the birds’ first arrivals are within a day or two of the previous year. I’m not sure I could do as well with a computer and smart phone. Eastern Phoebes used to regularly nest under our neighbors’ deck. That came to an abrupt end when new neighbors moved in with two Great Danes and a huge Lab mix.
I did this painting from photos of one of our spring visitors who was sitting on the Staghorn Sumac in our backyard. When me moved in, there was some growing in the field portion of our yard. As we planted native gardens, we left the sumac to bring in birds. Staghorn Sumac is a great plant to have if you want to attract birds. Its bright red-orange leaves in the fall are an added bonus. When in bloom it also attracts tons of bees. I find it to be a handsome though short-lived plant. I consciously have to let the new shoots grow up to replace the ones that have died off. The only negative I see is that they tend to leaf out quite late in the spring and drop leaves early in the fall.
Happy Valentines Day!
