Duck musings

Howdy. I've been thinking how strange it is that 6 years ago I woke up on the other side of the world in Perth and wanted to draw ducks. Yes, a Middle Market Advisory Manager who hadn't seen a duck in about 10 years wanted to draw ducks. I think my friend Ads, though very kind and lovely that she is, thought I was a bit crazy as I dragged her to all the book stores that lunch time to try to find a book on ducks. She was actually very supportive - Ads being Ads - and the book found was Waterbirds of South-West Wetlands by Carolyn Thomson-Dans and Stuart Halse and cost me a grand total of $6.50. Quite inspired I went home and tried to copy the photo of the Australian Shelduck with pastels and posted it on my blog. I realised Sunday as I sat drawing a female mallard and her ducklings at St Margaret's Loch that I was drawing ducks for a book of my own making. So because I am obviously such a big well-known artist (ha ha :p) I thought I'd do a retrospective of my Shelduck 6 years ago compared to my sketch of the Mallard and her ducklings today. I am also quite interested in the birds of Australia having similar names to that of the UK but looking just slightly different. Here is a photo of a Mallard in Australia from the Thomson-Dans and Halse book. PS Hope you hare having a good day. It was quite exciting to get thunder and rain this morning after 2 weeks of sun! Though happy sun is back this afternoon :-). Oh and please scroll down my blog on the right and check out the link to the Hidden Door blog - it's cool stuff. Get involved while you can! 

K Fisher, Female Mallard and Ducklings (2013)

K Fisher, Australian Shelduck (2007)

Mallard in Australia, Waterbirds of South-West Wetlands

Cyclamen success!

Ahoy fellow people! At long last I have completed my RBGE Certificate in Botanical Illustration. The wonderful day came a few weeks ago on Saturday 8 June. The 10 month course was absolutely brilliant, however, I admit that the final weeks of tinkering around with my final piece while sometimes enjoyable was completely terrifying. So much pressure when painting on a pristine white background. The lift off technique certainly came in very handy and something I am very happy to have learnt. Not only did I pass, I passed with Merit (though I get the feeling no one passed with less than a merit! :-)). To top it off, we even get a graduation ceremony in September, complete with nibblies and wine - no gown unfortunately but I think I can survive just this once without. Without further ado (drum roll please), I reveal my final composition of dear cyclamen persicum (actually to be honest my Cyclamen F1 Hybrid as my original lost its flowers too early in the piece), together with a photo of my actual hybrid. Also this week I have been lovingly staring at a painting Madonna and child in the national gallery by an artist nicknamed The Master of the Embroidered Foliage. The painting is amazing, particularly the berries and leaves and the shadow of Mary. I would post here but there doesn't seem to be an online image of it in the collection, so you may have to waltz over to the gallery and view it for yourself :D. Well, off to meet a friend at the train station. Hopefully won't be too long before I post again.

Cyclamen (K Fisher) - 20 cm x 14 cm

My wee little cyclamen hybrid F1 mix (and my tutor Pamela Richardson blurry in background)