pipit project

I handed up my last college project of the year this morning and after weeks of waiting for this day, I didn't know what to start with! I had wanted and intended to go straight out and look for warblers in Wicklow but the weather wasn't the best so I decided to spend the day at the desk. I had drawn a list of a few projects I wanted to set myself during the year and decided to start work on it now. One of the projects was to try and illustrate plates for all the pipits of Europe, one of my favourite families. So after clearing out my desk, I set up and started on Olive-backed, probably my favourite pipit.

 I drew up several roughs using photographs and notes, adding more detail and colour to promising sketches.

I struggle to position the legs when I work from photos and always end up using tracing paper to work them in.
Hopefully tomorrow I will get to work up the sketches into a presentable layout on water colour paper and have an idea and plan for my next species.