28 August 07
Western Scrub-jay
A family group of scrub-jays flew into the almond tree this morning. I got a few quick sketches done but waited till this afternoon before redoing one with color (I wanted to check the color in the facial markings and there, ready as always, was Google Images).
I don’t like to work from photographs — your work can seem really “wooden” — but they do provide excellent reference material for color and shape when you aren’t sure about something. Study skins in museums are great too. Taxidermied specimens are less good because you’re really working on someone else’s art, but sometimes, as in the case of the Labrador ducks at the Museum of Natural History, that’s all there is…
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I love your sketch-very pretty, and your jay looks quite happy.