Well, that's it for today. Have a lovely weekend and thanks for your visit like always!
xxxxx
Saturday, 17 February 2018
Chickadees or Coletits?
Hello lovely visitors, today I am sharing another spread in my nature journal, you have all been so kind and encoraging about it, so thanks for that!!
It's not always easy to find suitable subjects to draw and paint here in the Northern Hemisphere in February. The weather has been so cold and windy, it's hard to even go out for walks. So for this spread I took inspiration from photographs, what I can see from my craftroom window, and my imagination...
This little chickadee was mostly copied from a photo on the wonderful Pamelia's blog, but I also looked at other photographs. Here in the UK we don't have chickadees, but our native coletits are very, very similar, though apparently not related... I used watercolour pencils, Prisma Premier pencils, watercolours and even a black Tombow marker.
Like usual, I also added strips of washi, old book paper and here also a few scraps of rice paper and a little stamping on tissue.. I love playing with little bits of collage around my hand painted elements to complete the pages.
This branche is based on the budding branches of a big chestnut tree I can see out of the window of my artspace (studio would be too big a word for it lol).
And here finally a couple of feathers, they are totally done out of my imagination, I just needed something to fill up the space....
The cover for this journal, as some of you may remember, was made with the Eileen Hull journaling die. I love that with the help of the elastic, I can take the actual journal in and out of the cover, which makes it much easier to paint. Here you can see it inside the cover.
I just looked up the coletit and they do look so much like a chickadee. You really caught the essence of a chickadee, which is the version I know. And you caught the essence of February too with the bare branch, and I know we see so many chickadees at the feeders right now. Your journal really is coming along beautifully. Happy weekend. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteGorgeous, Astrid. I love how you take inspiration from nature around you. Do you take your journal and paints with you or do you bring most of nature back to your studio to paint? Your details are so magnificent especially on that chickadee.
ReplyDeleteHappy Weekend,
Kate
WAUW you´ve really done an amazing job, and it looks sooo real and sooo beautiful. It really puts a smile on my face to see your lovely creations every time. They´re looking soo alive and just as we see them here too in this cold time of year, and even more than we see here rightt now, after we got the last batch of snow here last week, but hopefully we´ll also soon see a bit more springlike around us up here too.
ReplyDeleteHope you´ll have a wonderful and cosy week-end comming now, so you can get some more inspiration to make more beautiful pages.
Beautiful drawing, I love those little birds, I watch them everyday on my balcony. Hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteSo much fine detail for us all to take in Astrid. Each time I visit I just want to take hold and pick up your creations for closer inspection. Your Nature study Journal must be a delight to flick through and it's so good to hear that you take inspiration from pictures as well as what is around us not letting the weather get in your way. Sheer beauty and we are so honoured that you share it all with us.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a wonderful creative weekend. Tracey xx
Amazing Nature inspired artwork for your journal Astrid, as the commented above mentioed, your journal must be a delight. I wonder if they could even be Great Tit's, those we get are so close in features to Coletits - I am certain we have a bit of cross breeding in our gardens.
ReplyDeleteHave a good weekend.
B x
wonderful pages Astrid and I have so enjoyed viewing them x Your sweet Chickadee is fabulous x Love the branch and amazing softness captured in your feathers
ReplyDeleteKeep cozy xx
Annie x
What a wonderful spread dear Astrid... reminds me of the great books of Edith Holden -and brought up into a modern Mixed Media style - unique drawings Astrid and just GORGEOUS!
ReplyDeleteoxo Susi
Wonderful pages, Astrid! Love the chickadee.
ReplyDeleteOh Astrid your nature pages , with drawings and paintings are so very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI`m all in love with your bird, a masterpiece , I would say- so adorable, and looking all alive ----- and the branches so almost dead,- an d bearly alive, even the buds comes forward for every day - is is gorgeous dear friend.
Hugs from Dorthe xxxx
I do love your nature journal. You work in it is soooooo lovely. The little birdie is precious. We have those birds here in beautiful BC Canada. However with this weather they have been staying home. I am hoping winter will be done soon, I am tired of all this "wet". My yard is saturated, no place for water to go anymore so it sits on the top. The dogs don't spend too much time out there.
ReplyDeleteLots to do inside tho', so we don't get bored.
Great work Astrid.
A gorgeous nature journal indeed, I love this chickadee, I hope they will soon come back in our gardens with coming Spring... the branch is beautiful too, and I love how you add collages.
ReplyDeleteIt is a gorgeous drawing of the sweet bird, the colours and the brush strokes look amazing. A beautiful nature's journal spread. Lets hope spring will be here soon for us to get out and about to see nature in all her glory.
ReplyDeleteYvonne xx
Your drawing and painting are so lovely to see! The chickadee is such a beautiful bird and you have really captured just how he has fluffed his feathers to keep warm!Your Nature journal is a delight to see! Chrisx
ReplyDeleteAnother beautiful page for your Nature Journal Astrid! The little Chickadee is gorgeous .. you are so clever being able to capture it so beautifully!! I love the collage at the bottom of the pge and the branch and feathers on the other side are gorgeous too. Beautifully done!! hugs xx
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful paintings! The chickadee looks so pretty and the texture of it's feathers is amazing 😁. I love the bits of paper and washi tape you add too and it was lovely to see the finished pages surrounded by the inside cover too - perfect 😀. Wishing you a Happy Weekend! J 😊
ReplyDeleteChickadees do look remarkably like coaltits and you have drawn yours so beautifully Astrid, I am just in awe of your drawing and colouring! Your pages look wonderful. I am hoping Spring is just around the corner, we have had enough cold weather now! Hugs, Anne xx
ReplyDeleteYou are without a doubt one of the most talented artists in Blogland!
ReplyDeleteWe have Chickadees here in the States and they are one of my favorite birds. So little and sweet. Your journal is going to be one in a million - beautifully made and illustrated.
Sandy xx
Absolutely beautiful Astrid- I love your Chickadee!
ReplyDeletejust wondering if you have received anything in the mail yet?
Jackie xo
Beautiful pages and the colour you used on your drawings make them look so lifelike.
ReplyDeleteAvril xx