Weekly museum sketchbook report

 Yes, every Tuesday i am at the Natural History Museum for sketches and studies. This week i've decided to take a break from skeletons and sketch some taxidermy. I've spend more time to watch and study and less in actual drawing. It is interesting to see and touch birds, that in nature you can see from distance and with binocular or scope. I know what species i will sketch next week : ))

Common whitethroat (Sylvia communis) mounted for that tree more than 50 years ago : ))

The white-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus) is actually one of my personal very favorite birds to sketch.

Common stonechat (Saxicola torquatus) study sketched from taxidermy again. The last sketch from that day

And you can check the sketches from Last Week and the Week Before

Another day of sketching in the museum

Yesterday i've spend another day in the natural history museum. Lots of drawing and learning about birds anatomy and construction. 

Gyps Fulvus skeleton study.

Bubo Bubo skeleton.

Bubo Bubo skeleton.

Bubo Bubo skull studies.

Unfinished study of а taxidermy.

Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra)
Another unfinished sketch...they told me, they're closing the museum 

Sketching skeletons at the museum

 I was at the Natural History Musem today for some sketching. Thanks to Profesor Boev and Boris Nikolov, i was able to see some "behind the scenes (and walls)"skeletons and bones...aaand spend the whole day there, with tones of dust and taxonomic!
The basic thing i was trying to do with those studies, was to capture the gesture of the skeleton, the movement and how the bones are connected with each other.
All sketches were made using bic pen.

First sketch of the day. Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) skeleton study

Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) skeleton study, trying to learn what,where,how

Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) skeleton study

Learning the names of the bones from that Golden Eagle skeleton

Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) skeleton.

I couldnt resist it - chicken bones served

I was out of time, so ive decided to make some small skull studies. Bearded vulture.

At the end of the day i still had some time for a quick study.
Alectoris Chukar

My working space. Birds everywhere.

More bird studies

All sketches are based on video footage, made with bic pen and white gel pen on toned paper sketchbook

Some recent studies.

Similarities between larks in Bulgaria - Eurasian skylark, Crested lark, Woodlark, Greater short-toed lark, Lesser short-toed lark, Calandra lark and Horned lark. 
Bic pen on toned paper.

From A to Z - The Alphabet of the Bulgarian Graffiti

My painting for "From A to Z - The Alphabet of the Bulgarian Graffiti" exhibition. My first still life painting done as a student in the atelier of the amazing artist and great teacher and mentor - Ivan Tafrov. 
50x50 cm, done in acryilcs
Link to the exhibition's fbook event for more info -https://web.facebook.com/events/431840590343282/

Inktober 2015

OK #inktober is over, so i've decided to return to my "blog"and eventualy to start posting more often...

Day 1 #inktober : ))

BB bic pen study based on my photo from the zoo.

Day 2 #inktober

Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)

Bic pen and white Pentel Hybrid Gel pen study on toned paper. 

Based on my references from the zoo.

Day 3 #inktober

Juv. Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) from the Sofia zoo. 

Bic pen and white Pentel HybrydGel pen on toned paper.

Day 4 #inktober

Lesser Kestrel. Sketched from plastic model and video reference. Not so happy with it, but i've learned a lot for the bird from that study.

Bic pen and white Pentel HybrydGel pen on toned paper.

Day 5 #inktober

Domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica)

Bic pen and very little white Pentel HybrydGel pen on toned paper.

Day 6 

Pica pica
Bic pen and white Pentel HybrydGel pen on toned paper.

Day 7 #inktober

Bic pen and white Pentel HybrydGel pen on toned paper.

Day 8 #inktober

Sand Martin (Riparia RIparia) study. 

Bic pen and Pentel HybrydGel Pen sketch on toned paper.

Day 9 #inktober

Quick sketch of the zoo's sulphur-crested cockatoo

Day 10 #inktober

Another zoo beauty : ))

Bic pen and first try of my UniBall white gel pen on toned paper

Day 11 #inktober

Back on track with Eurasian Stone-curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) 

Bic pen and white UniBall gel pen sketch on toned paper. Based on video footage.

Day 12 #inktober

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) study based on video footage.

Bic pen and white UniBall gel pen sketch on toned paper.

Day 13 #inktober

Common Cuckoo

Bic pen and white UniBall gel pen sketch on toned paper.

Day 14 #inktober

Kentish Plover study based on video footage.

Bic pen and white UniBall gel pen sketch on toned paper.

Day 15 #inktober

Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) study based on video again. 

Bic pen and white UniBall gel pen sketch on toned paper.

Day 16 #inktober

Ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres) quick sketch. 

Bic pen and white UniBall gel pen sketch on toned paper.

Day 17 #inktober

Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) really quick sketch based on video footage again.

Bic pen and white UniBall gel pen sketch on toned paper.

Day 18 #inktober

Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) 

Bic pen and white UniBall gel pen sketch on toned paper.

Day 19 #inktober

White-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus) study based on some video footage.

Bic pen and white UniBall gel pen sketch on toned paper.

Day 20 #inktober

Unfinished study of a ruff (Philomachus pugnax). Really beautiful and interesting bird.

Bic pen and white UniBall gel pen sketch on toned paper.

Day 21 #inktober

Another unfinished study. Meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis)

Bic pen and white gel pen on toned paper.

Day 22 #inktober

Black Tern (Chlidonias niger) fast sketch.

Bic pen and white gel pen on toned paper.

Day 23 #inktober

Sternula albifrons...not really happy with that one

Bic pen and white gel pen on toned paper.

Day 24 #inktober

Study sketch for a painting of a Sylvia curruca in a tree from some video footage. 

Bic pen and white gel pen on toned paper.

Day 25 #inktober

Study sketch of an Osprey. 

Bic pen and white gel pen on toned paper.

Day 26 #inktober

Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus)

Bic pen and white gel pen on toned paper.

Day 27 #inktober 

Moustached Warbler (Acrocephalus melanopogon) fast and dirty sketch. When you are too tired, but don't want to miss another day from the chalenge...

Shaking hands holding Bic pen and white gel pen on toned paper. 

Day 28 #inktober

Falco subbuteo head study based on video footage. 

Bic pen and white gel pen on toned paper.

Day 29 #inktober

Marsh Tit (Poecile palustris) study. 

Bic pen and white gel pen on toned paper.

Day 30 #inktober

Willow Tit (Poecile montanus) study

Bic pen and white gel pen on toned paper

Day 31 #inktober 

Sombre Tit (Poecile lugubris) study

Bic pen and white gel pen on toned paper