yes I am still painting birds
…but I’m really enjoying painting fish; I’ve another salmon to show you next time too.
I have started the illustrations for the Ecuador poster project, and I’m really enjoying the chance to paint these beautiful tropical birds and find out about them. I’m using eBird, the global database for my references which is proving really useful.
Anyway, back to the Bluefin Tuna.
The south-west coast of England has seen a return of these magnificent predators during autumn, and according to Cornwall Wildlife Trust they can be spotted hunting mackerel and herring during the late summer. Of course, now the locals are organising fishing trips and allowing them to be caught and sold but *sigh* twas ever thus…
I have used my small squares of Khadi paper, with the granulating watercolour background and the fish painted in gouache. I really like this combination as I so enjoy the relationship between the patchy paint and the thick paper, coupled with the clean crisp lines of the gouache.
On this one I used a natural sponge with some white gouache to create the spray from the leaping tuna:
And here is a slightly more serene one, cruising through the Atlantic Ocean:
I would like to paint one more, then I will find some frames and hang them in my bathroom as it’s painted a deep inky blue.
