Lewis’s Woodpecker (watercolour pencil)

'Lewis's Woodpecker' (US)

This wood pecker struck me some months ago from a magazine my girlfriend regularly buys: ‘Birdwatcher’. This particular bird was featured in the magazine and i had to sketch it. Firstly i had to associate myself with bird anatomy and habits, etc. My girlfriend and I are into nature and she in particular loves birds. I suppose i was ‘lured’ in a bit to drawing and painting these small..(ish) creatures, which is certainly great fun - and very different to my normal and usual work - marine scapes and landscapes.  The work above of this popular American woodpecker to their woodlands has really stunning plumage along with an elongated bill for ‘pecking’ through that tough tree to make for it’s primary nest.  This work was done on watercolour paper with watercolour pencils, some of the work was smudged and other parts was not. Watercolour pencils are not my first port of call, however, i really felt this type of work needed and deserved this as i believe it’s a technical subject