Common Linnets - Oosterschelde

 

During our walks along the shoreline of the Oosterschelde (Netherlands) we walked along some 'inlays' that were formed in areas where a break in the dyke was possible. A new dyke was made a bit more inland and the area between both dykes sometimes got flooded, sometimes stayed mostly dry land. These 'inlays' are now valuable and varied spots of nature, protected so we are only allowed to see them from the dykes that surround them.

One of those 'inlays' has a lot of breeding birds and at one place there is a birdwatcher's spot where we could look at the activity on the small (artificial) islands in the water. As it was springtime when we walked there, we had a lot to look at.

We were on the dyke and could not only see the water, but also the top of the bushes and small trees that were growing underneath the dyke in the protected area. These branches were frequented by some small birds and I asked my husband (who had the camera) to make some (reference) pictures. It was not easy, as the birds did not stay in one place for a long time, but he got me some nice pictures. 

One of the birds had been sitting there for some time, the other had just arrived and was arranging his (or her) feathers before settling for a rest. The background of the reference pictures is the water behind the dyke and the sunlit branches with the birds were standing out perfectly.

At first we thought - guided by the sound of skylarks - that these were the birds in the picture, but we were wrong. After comparing our picture with some references in books we concluded that these are common linnets. That is still special for us, as these small birds are not easily found where we live.

For this drawing I made a background in watercolour, because  that is the best way in which I could create the illusion of calm water in the background of the scene. Because I have used cellulose-based paper, I could not make my background as dark as the water looked in the reference pictures. Adding more layers of paint to that quality of paper only results in picking up all the paint that was already there and leaving white paper instead of a nice dark colour.

The branches and the birds are drawn with water-soluble pencils. Because the background ended up lighter than I hoped it would be, I had to make the branches darker than they were in the reference to stand out. My white pencil was not very visible on this background as it would be on a darker one. 

While making this mixed media drawing I changed and adapted my initial plans several times, depending on the results I got in each step of the process.

I did not apply any water on the drawing of the branches, as they are not the subject of my work. Only the drawings of the birds are 'activated' with a little water, so the colours would come to life. The result is what I hoped it to be.

The information about the paper, paints and pencils I have used, the size, the price and availability of this work can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Common Tern - Oosterschelde

 

In previous posts I have mentioned our short stay in a vacation home in Kortgene and our walks on the shoreline of the Oosterschelde. We have seen a lot of beautiful views as the landscape is a Natural Reserve but the wildlife is also worth mentioning. We were there in springtime so there were a lot of birds nesting and searching for food. We also saw several birds flying with branches that seemed much too big for such a small bird, but they were up to the challenge.

This common tern was hunting in the water very close to the shoreline. I asked my husband - who had the camera - to make some reference pictures and after about five minutes he had been able to make several beautiful pictures. (I only made pictures with my smartphone and zooming in on a flying tern is not a good idea. The camera is much better for that)

For this watercolour I only made a drawing of the bird, using a watercolour pencil. The sky and the water were painted using the reference pictures as a guideline. I only looked more closely at the reference for the shapes of the waves.

The information about the paper and paints I have used, the size, the price and the availability of this watercolour painting can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Oosterschelde

 

The day we were walking along the Northern coast of Noord-Beveland, along the Oosterschelde we had sunshine most of the time. As there was not much wind, the water was relatively calm and clear. At the end of our walk there was a row of poles in the lowest part of the dyke. The poles are very close to each other and a human cannot pass between two of them, but there were some openings. I walked down, went through an opening and made some reference pictures. 

The construction of the opening is visible, both in the placement of the poles and in the shadows they cast. 

The row of poles is still 'closed', protecting either the dyke from large things being blown onto it or protecting the water from large things rolling down the dyke. The Oosterschelde is a Natural Reserve and has to be protected. 

The row of poles and their shadows inspired me at first to go down and make pictures, but when I was there, the colours of the water were more beautiful than we could see from the dyke (where the path was). 

Looking at the pictures I had made, I knew this was a great subject for a watercolour painting with all those beautiful shades of blue and aqua green in the water.

Looking at the pictures again I decided to make a mixed-media work using my watercolour paints for the landscape and water-soluble pencils to add details to the poles and the basalt blocks of the lowest part of the dyke and in the water.

The information about the materials I have used, the size of this work and its availability can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

The test of time

 

As I mentioned in my recent posts, during our short vacation in our province Zeeland my husband and me made some nice walks and we made lots of pictures during those walks. The landscape is different from where we live, even though we are used to wide rivers so close to the sea. The Oosterschelde is a bit bigger, almost like a lake, it's as good as impossible to see the other side in some areas even on a bright day.

We made some pictures near the 'Oestergat', a place where the oysters were kept fresh and alive after the catch and before they were to be sold and transported.

This drawing was made after a picture my husband made, I went more down towards the water to make my reference pictures. The drawing was again made with charcoal, but I added some colour using my watercolour pencils. These have brighter colours than the Tinted Charcoal pencils and for a sunny day in spring I needed the brighter green that I have used in this drawing.

The title is a bit inspired by the May challenge of 'Goed Gezien - Goed Bekeken' which is about demolition. 

In this place time caused the demolition of the structure in the foreground. Mosses and lichens grow on the wooden structure and some of the metal caps of the poles are missing. These poles are the ones that are the most weathered.

The information about the paper and pencils I have used, the size, the price and availability of this drawing can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

The Drowned Land of Zuid-Beveland -- watercolour

 

Last week we were for a very short vacation in our province Zeeland and we made some nice walks near the shorelines of the Oosterschelde. Of course we (my husband and me) made lots of pictures and I have made some charcoal drawings during our stay in the vacation home. 

Now that I am back in my own home, where my little studio is, I can make watercolour paintings using the reference pictures I have made.

I started with one of the pictures I have made during our walk along the Drowned Lands of Zuid-Beveland. I have written about this beautiful but fragile piece of nature in my previous post.

This scene with the salt marshes and a bit of the mudflats in the background would not look very good in a charcoal drawing - the tones of the vegetation of the salt marshes are similar so that would be a lot of the same shade of grey. The same goes for the mudflats and the water in the background.

In reality there are  shades of blueish green and violet in the vegetation of the salt marshes The mudflats have the colours of wet sand and the water looks grey because we had a day with a grey sky without any contrasts.

For this painting I wanted to show the creeks in the salt marshes. Some creeks can be seen easily, the other ones can only be found when looking at the shadow lines in the vegetation. 

The information about the materials I have used, the size, the price and the availability of this painting can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

The Drowned Land of Zuid-Beveland

 

During our short stay in a vacation home in Kortgene, we also went for a walk along the Drowned Lands of Zuid-Beveland. This area was drowned by the sea long before the great flooding of 1953 and several villages have disappeared over time in the water.

Now the mainland is protected by dykes and dams and along one of these dykes is a walking path along the mudflats, salt marshes and creeks that are there now. Of course there is some tidal action as the Oosterschelde is connected to the North Sea, the creeks were almost empty when we walked there, but the salt marshes have vegetation. The area is fragile and protected, we were only allowed on the path and on the dykes.

Because I had only brought along my drawing materials for such a short stay, this is another charcoal drawing, made in the vacation home using a picture I made during the walk as my reference. This time I added a little bit of colour using my watercolour pencils to draw attention to the green colours in the landscape. The creek in the foreground was a bit wider and there were lots of dark remains of plants (seaweeds?) but in the background the salt marsh was higher and had vegetation. Even further away there were only mudflats and water while on the horizon is one of the dams that protect the mainland.

Some of the scenes I photographed will look better in watercolour, as the vegetation there was not only green, but had shades of violet as well. The dark shadows of the creeks will also make more sense in a coloured painting so there is a lot of work for me during the weeks to come. In fact I am looking forward to that!

The information about the materials I have used, the size, the price and the availability of this drawing can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

At the 'Oestergat'

 

During our short stay in a vacation home in Kortgene we also walked in other areas of the islands. This scene is on the North coast of the island of Noord-Beveland, at the Oosterschelde. These waters are still connected to the North Sea, but the inlets are protected now, after the huge flood in 1953 dams were constructed. Not all dams are permanently closed and the Oosterschelde still has salt water and tides.

This scene is a remainder of the past, the 'Oestergat' or Oyster Hole was made to keep the oysters fresh and alive before they were sold and transported inland. The basalt blocks and stones have different textures and the hole is protected by a small harbour-like structure with an inlet for the water and of course for the boats that brought the oysters in from the sea. The seagulls and oystercatchers are still finding oysters and the coastline is scattered with broken shells - the birds drop the oysters from the air to break the shells so they can eat the flesh.

Nowadays we are only allowed to walk on the stones, the mudflats are forbidden for people, this is an area of very fragile nature. I walked down as far as was allowed and made some pictures to have references for my drawings and maybe for some future watercolour paintings. For this drawing I tried to show the shapes and textures of the basalt blocks contrasting to the mudflats and the dyke in the background. 

The information about the materials I have used, the size, the price and the availability of this charcoal drawing can all be found in my Tumblr blog.