Harrier project

As part of one of my final college projects I have been working on identification plates for harriers in Ireland. I am only half way through the plates, but as part of another class I have to lay them out as they would appear in a book spread. I am planning to finnish them off with my own text, at the moment it is just a dummy text. 

 Northern harrier, I am still learning the best ways to paint on the card. I am finding it a much easier surface to work on than water colour paper for finer detail, but am still struggling a lot with larger areas of colour. I find that a lot of my usual process's when working with water colour paper are the opposite of how I work on the card.

 Pallid harrier. I tried quite a few approaches with this plate, starting with darks and lights in some images and with the lights building to dark in others. I really like some of the results but am finding the consistency difficult to maintain.

 I was trying to come up with a few rough layouts for a finished book spread, trying to keep it simple, clear and easily read. With the easter break starting this weekend I hope to get all the illustrations finished and a layout template settled on.

I have also been working on a few logos, collared flycatcher was an obvious choice.

Local patch

 I have seen the ring-billed gull almost daily lately on my way to and from college. It was around this time last year that he disappeared, so I spent lunchtime today sketching and photographing him. I was finally able to lure him down off his favourite roof having ignored my bread on previous visits.

 Also along the canal were atleast 3 scandinavian jackdaws, all of which frustratingly stayed on the far bank! An adult brent goose has been with the mallard for atleast 2 weeks now. I thought originally that it must have been injured, but it looks in good health.

 I have been working away on college work for the last few weeks, above is some of my rough work and studies for my plates on Irish harriers.

 I have done a few illustrations of acrocephalus warblers recently, above is a water colour on card study of a Blyth's reed warbler.