Waterbirds in the landscape: Week 1 Herons and Egrets

I sketched the arrival of the first few white egrets on a salt-marsh in New England and later painted this small watercolour evoking the birds, and the colours of the early autumn landscape.

Standing on a river bank watching birds, wondering at their movement and the patterns of water when a swan takes flight or a duck simply swims by, is exactly what we’ll be considering over the next few weeks.

We are starting with the heron and the related group of birds, the egrets. I chose the heron because of all the birds of the river bank, it is the heron that stays still the longest while watching for a tasty meal of fish so offers one less challenge when sketching from life.  The heron will even shade the water arching his wings over like a living parasol so that the reflective surface of the water does not interfere with fishing!

Here are a few photos of herons and their relatives the egrets. Do some fast sketches preferably from life or from these or your own reference before launching into a more considered drawing or painting.  These sketches should show the bird in various positions and flying if you can.

Before starting to draw look at;

The main body shape

Length of legs, neck head and bill in relation to the body

The angles made by legs neck and head in relation to the body

How the heron and the egrets hold and move their long necks

How the wings are folded over the body

Head and neck; the heron flies with its neck curved back into its body but egrets like swans and geese fly with their necks stretched forward in the direction of travel.

Observe how when the heron is about to skewer a fish its head moves forward and its whole body tenses ready to dive in.  You can almost feel the anticipation of the hungry heron.

Colour

Composition

When considering how to paint a more finished work, decide exactly what you want to “say” about the subject, and then which references to use to show how the bird relates to the landscape.  Also decide whether your painting is more like a portrait in a landscape setting; in the way that Gainsborough’s painting of Mr. and Mrs. Andrews is a portrait of the couple in their country estate setting, requiring a lot of detail, or whether it is the landscape that is of prime importance even if a flying heron in the distance forms the focal point.  I have seen egrets in numbers together but herons tend to be solitary so this is an aspect that you could build into the feeling of your painting.

Looking forward to seeing the results and exploring the subject further on Wednesday.

Your paintings;