Tuesday 4 April 2017

a spring interlude


Welcome back to a taste of spring in Nova Scotia.
We can see a dozen or more robins in the field out back

but just outside our window, a male robin was foraging in the yard.

His dark head and tail with grayer plumage designate him as male.

The female also has an orange breast but is duller in colour by comparison

less grey, more beige

After a busy hour or more rooting up leaves, she nestled into the warm leaves

and had a rest

time for a little preening

before she was on the run again

This male suspected I was watching- run, run, run

I stepped outside to take a picture of the crocuses when I thought I'd take a chance on this fly
Oh to be a fly in spring.
This is where my little camera comes into its own.

The crocuses are wide awake in the morning sun.

These buddies grow in a triad.

 My work in progress (wip) on another triad I'm calling Three Sisters.

After using a Sharpie Gold paint pen for the initial details, I used Sharpie Glitter paint pens for the pink and blue hair which I toned down with a White Sharpie paint pen. When that wasn't enough, I went in with some white coloured pencil.  It really takes the pencils to another level when using a white pencil to blend the Derwent and Prismacolor coloured pencils that I used. They are wax based and one can drag the colour around a bit with the white, though I must be careful to clean it off ( scribble on some clean paper) if I need it absolutely white again.

Wally tells me we're due for another winter storm. "That's Canada in April" was my response.
I'll have some pictures for you if it amounts to anything substantial.

Til then, a warm welcome to rebirth in Spring.



2 comments:

Jeanne-Sylvie said...

How beautiful are those robins! And quite different from the ones we have in France.Ours are funny with their very round bellies. Yours look thinner and a little bigger.Your picture of the fly is beautiful! And so are the crocuses! these little flowers have always been among my favorites.
Your three sisters have lovely colors and shades! I am a great fan of coloured pencils, love the subtalty they provide but i acknowledge i never used prismacolor. I have been using derwent and faber castell for years but i will give a try at the white prismacolor because the faber castel one is not waxy enough.
And i will add a sharpie gold paint pen to my order too!i love how it brings light to your work!
Back to work in the garden, i am cleaning the paths invaded by grass, tough job but i am happy with the result.Have a peaceful week end my dear, cuddle the kitties for me please.

Enchanted Blue Planet said...

My dear, faithful Jeanne-Sylvie, thank you again for your thoughtful, kind visit.
Glitter and shine do not easily reproduce well, but I love working with them, rolling out the bling. I think you will enjoy the Prismacolor white (among other colours) as they are much juicier than Derwents, in terms of colour too.
How good to be productive in the yard. Ours is still too muddy. The kitties are sitting in the window today as we are having a blast of breezy spring warmth. They will get your warm French cuddles passed on to be sure!

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