Tag: oiseaux

Sketches / Drawings / Paintings, Urban Sketching

Snowstorm :: Tempête de neige

by Jane HannahLeave a Comment on Snowstorm :: Tempête de neige

We knew that it would come… it’s just that we did not know when. Well it has happened. 2.5 feet of snow fell today and I could not even leave my house… my spouse took 2 hours to clean up the driveway, the path and the steps. So I painted this scene looking out of the dining room window.

Did you know that birds are incredible? When a trough, high winds or snow are coming, birds know. Very early this morning they gathered around our 4 feeders and there were 100s of them… American Goldfinches, Common Redpoles, Red-breasted Nuthatches, White-breasted Nuthatches, Hoary Redpolls, Black-capped Chickadees, Hairy Woodpeckers, Downy Woodpeckers, they were all feeding in a frenzy. They kept me busy as I had to refill all of the feeders 3 times.

For this painting I used mostly Burnt sienna, Cobalt blue and New gambodge. For the snow I mixed Cobalt blue and Alizarin crimson.

Avant que la tempête arrive, les oiseaux le savent très bien et ils se préparent. Nous avons eu des centaines d’oiseaux aujourd’hui qui se nourrissaient autour de mes 4 mangeoires d’oiseaux. Il y avait des Chardonnerets, des Mésanges, des Pics chevelus, des Pics mineurs, beaucoup de Sizerins flammés, des Sitelles à poitrine rousse, des Sitelles à poitrine blanche. J’ai dû renouveller les mangeoires 3 fois au cours de la journée. Voici la vue de ma maison bien assise au chaud au bord de la fenêtre.

Paper: Larolan Watercolour Sketchbook
Watercolours: Winsor & Newton and Daniel Smith
Colors: Cobalt blue, New Gambodge and Burnt Sienna (with some Alizarin Crimson)

20121227_BirdFeeder

Sketches / Drawings / Paintings

Bird Nests :: Nids d’oiseaux

by Jane HannahLeave a Comment on Bird Nests :: Nids d’oiseaux

Here are Finch, Oriole and Robin nests. These three birds nest throughout Québec in the spring. As winter is upon us, the Oriole and Robin have left us for fairer climes (as well as many others). The chickadees, goldfinches, nuthatches, sapsuckers, hawks, falcons, owls and woodpeckers will keep us company during the harsh quebec winter, pecking at the tallow and feeding at our black sunflower seed stations.

This painting was done with Ecoline (from Holland) and on the bottle it says that it is transparent watercolour, but it is not like the usual watercolours that we buy in tubes that we mix on a palette. To me it has an ink quality, as you dip your brush directly in the bottle without any dilution. It gives nice intense colours.

Voici un nid de pinson, merle d’amérique et oréole de Baltimore. Pendant les durs mois de l’hiver québécois, les chardonnerets, mésanges, sitelles, pique-bois, éperviers, faucons, pics et chouettes vont nous tenir compagnie en picossant dans le suif et en dévorant les graines de tournesol noir. Les autres sont partis pour nous revenir au printemps.

Paper: Bond
Colours: Ecoline
Pen: Pigma Micron Black .03