California Gnatcatcher in colored pencil

California Gnatcatcher on California buckwheat in colored pencil. Greg Gillson. March 3, 2019.

In February I signed up for an online colored pencil tutorial by Amie Howard Art. It was a single tutorial lesson, following along as Amie drew a robin. Amie is in the UK, so that's a European Robin. And the price equated to less than $20.

The robin tutorial turned out quite well. It is inserted below. So I decided to use the same technique using my own photograph, but include an out-of-focus background. The gnatcatcher above is the result. What you see above may not be the final result. I may keep working on it, pushing the shadows to add shape and contrast.

I chose the gnatcatcher because I had trouble with the white belly on the robin and wanted lots of "white" to work on. The white breast and belly on the gnatcatcher is various grays, cinnamon, blues, and violets. Actually, before I added the background it was a striking piece. I wanted the background to make it as realistic as I could. Yes, I still have a ways to go in that regard.

Robin tutorial. Greg Gillson. February 2019.

I have been working in colored pencil for over two years now. But I probably haven't even created one piece per month. I was drawing in graphite and started ballpoint pen art, as well. Still, only about 70 total "art" pieces in over two years, so not near enough practice. Two years ago my values were poor (very little shadow, so not very 3-dimensional) and I was outlining my drawings like cartoons. Recently my art improved, but Amie's technique created colorful and detailed (if a bit too fluffy for my taste) art that my attempts had been lacking. [See a recent piece: Yellow-rumped Warbler on succulent that I did a week or two before the robin tutorial. It has good shading, but lacks fine detail.]

Switching from Prismacolor Premier to the harder Faber-Castell Polychromos allows sharpening to a finer point. The Polychromos have better light resistance so they should keep their color 100+ years, not fade away in 5 to 15.

I'm still working on it, but Amie's technique has made me excited that I may be able to achieve very realistic-looking work... maybe in another couple years.

Amie Howard Art webpage is here.
Find more of Ms. Howard's work on Instagram @amiehowardart

Rufous-crowned Sparrows at Lake Hodges

Rufous-crowned Sparrows are found in coastal sage scrub, especially steep south facing slopes. It invades areas after fires and then becomes less common as the chaparral matures. Bare soil and bunchgrass and small bushes are this species' preferred habitat (San Diego County Bird Atlas).

These sparrows are regular at Lake Hodges, but infrequently reported. Their sparse habitat is not where most birders spend their time.

Rufous-crowned Sparrow. Lake Hodges, California. January 25, 2019.

More photos of Rufous-crowned Sparrows in San Diego from eBird. Click on the photos to rate (1 awful, 2 poor but identifiable, 3 average or small, 4 very good, 5 magazine cover worthy). (How and why.)

Lark Sparrow at Lake Hodges

Lark Sparrows are fairly common in San Diego County inland at least 5 miles from the ocean. They like farms, orchards, pastures. I have found them to be especially abundant around Lake Henshaw.

However, I recently found a few singing birds at Lake Hodges, where I encounter them much less frequently in the coastal sage scrub. Here they are pictured on a laurel sumac tree/bush, one of only a few in the immediate area.

Lark Sparrow. Lake Hodges, California. January 25, 2019.

More photos of Lark Sparrow in San Diego from eBird. Click on the photos to rate (1 awful, 2 poor but identifiable, 3 average or small, 4 very good, 5 magazine cover worthy). (How and why.)

California Gnatcatchers at Lake Hodges

I love to photograph California Gnatcatchers at Lake Hodges on the Bernardo Bay Trail. They seem to be quite common here right along the trail. Often I find a dozen birds on the 3 mile loop. Rarely do I miss them entirely. Nineteen was my exact count on this day, but up to 53 have been found here on the San Diego Bird Atlas project.

Typical view of a gnatcatcher--hiding behind a tangle of vegetation.

Female California Gnatcatchers are brownish, unlike other gnatcatcher species.

A diagnostic view of the under tail.

California Gnatcatcher. Lake Hodges, California. January 25, 2109.

More photos of California Gnatcatchers in San Diego from eBird. Click on the photos to rate (1 awful, 2 poor but identifiable, 3 average or small, 4 very good, 5 magazine cover worthy). How and why.

Say's Phoebe at Lake Hodges

Say's Phoebe is a frequent, but not numerous, inhabitant of the coastal sage scrub habitat at Lake Hodges. In January, one of my visits found nice golden hour sunlight.

Say's Phoebe. Lake Hodges, California. January 25, 2019.

My visit in February had overcast skies and grayer colors. But I found poses from the front, back, and side.

More photos of Say's Phoebe in San Diego from eBird. Click on the photos to rate (1 awful, 2 poor but identifiable, 3 average or small, 4 very good, 5 magazine cover worthy).