Requiem

[tealin]

Cramming in drawing time just before sleep again, but that was all I could do, as I spent all day at work and the remainder of my evening at church, vowing to go to bed as soon as I got home. So there I was on my bed, completely out of enthusiasm or subject matter. Luckily my hands are always there (knock on wood), though this one's thumb is even more disproportionate than it actually is. Then my cat hopped onboard, and I got in a few drawings of him before deciding that the remaining couple inches of the page just weren't going to get filled.


In tidying about the house today, my roommate found a dead bird on the porch, right next to the back door. I convinced her not to "throw it out" so that I could draw it. In just looking it up, I found it's a Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes, though as far as I know it doesn't actually dwell in caves)... here are some photos.

Really quite a subtly exquisite little bird, upon close examination. I did a couple of sketches of it from various directions on the patio table, then some details of the claw and head with my magnifying glass, and a size comparison, to show how extremely tiny it was against my gloved hand which, I admit, is a fair deal larger than my ungloved hand. Such a tiny little spark of life, when alive, and so very very small when dead. I could hardly feel it in my hand. After I'd filled my page I buried it in the blackberry patch out back. Somehow thowing it in the garbage can would have just been ... very wrong.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I <# you. I swear you're the best artist ever...not only are you a good artist but also a cool person. Squees for you.

[dimgwrthien714.livejournal.com]

*envies and de-lurks* Ha! I finally got a livejournal today!

The bird is so cute! There are a ton of those over here and I see them almost every day. About ten die at my busstop each morning. Cute little things, they are.

Did I mention that you have the cutest cat ever? *glances at my own cat* yeah, even cuter than mine.

[sammysmee.livejournal.com]

ahh wow you have a very good teqnique when i comes to drawing from life.. i need to start doing it more.. i try and to observational skeches of ym cat and she usually stares at me and walkes off knowing im trying to draw her lol!!

the bird sketches are wonderful! unfortunaly i dont think id have the strength to look at that poor little thing for more than 10 seconds without crying.. im a little too sensative. its a sad thing to see.
we have wrens in our back garden (im in england) and their so tiny!! probably one of my fave birds after the pheasant!

whoops im babbing lol! i love your sketches..very neat!

[lyssa-greenfire.livejournal.com]

Man, I really love your drawings. (Although I can't see how you picked up a dead bird, even if you were wearing gloves...) The cat is so cute!

(don't bother asking who I am, I'm just an admirer...)

[gabbysun.livejournal.com]

Gosh, you're so brave. I never could have done that. xD; *regretably a sissy girl* Although the bird is adorable. And fwoosh, those wings!

I squeed at the hand. I seriously did. AWESOME AWESOME HAND. And the bird details are gorgeous! I 'specially like the ones of the feet.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

It's just a tiny dead bird! What are all of you so afraid of? It's not going to leap up and peck your eyes out!

[gabbysun.livejournal.com]

xD It's not so much the dead as the possibility of dirty.

Yeah, I know you can wash your hands and stuff afterwards.

But still.

[bananabasket.livejournal.com]

Well, she wore gloves, didn't she?

Didn't you?

[kit-bowman.livejournal.com]

Hi, found the link to your lj through your website, hope you don't mind I added you but I love your artwork, especially the Harry Potter stuff :) you draw so well, its enchanting to look at.

Happy Easter!

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Yes I wore gloves! Did you think my hand is naturally swollen and distended as it appears in the lower picture? Compare with the above drawing of the very same hand...

Even so, I still washed my hands afterwards. Just in case. But really.

[ubiquitouspitt.livejournal.com]

How I love the way you draw cats (and wolves). I can't think of a better word for description other than, 'elastic.' The transition from reality to paper is flawless. Sometimes the details are so perfect, it seems as if you took a photograph, laid paper over it and traced the finer lines.

Poor little wren (/sophie). Better than finding baby copperheads on your back porch? Which is usually what I find, following the appearance of a cat.