Red-tailed Hawk

This is a pencil drawing of a Red-tailed Hawk taking on a rattlesnake; still in progress.

Painting in progress: Pale Male the Red-tailed Hawk

A scan from an HP scanner, so quite a bit grainy to my chagrin; Pale Male, the Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) of Central Park fame. Will work on it some more, thinking of keeping the background sedate and the tree mainly grey.

Pale Male drawing

 

A drawing of Pale Male for the upcoming book Eagles, Hawks & Falcons of the City of New York.

FEBRUARY 2009

Feathers are now flying and there is a sky, in which the contrast of light and dark is repeated - the sunlit top turning to a grey cloudscape into which the defeated corvid falls, his eye closed forever. Against the sad theme of his demise there is the bright, courageous look of his adversary. An interesting effect is achieved on the underwing of the attacker, but this is purely due to reflection of the lightbulb; painter I am, but photographer is another man's trade. In the future I hope to be able to set up double light sources and improve the images.

The bright spot caused by the bulb is, nonetheless, an interesting touch, and could serve well for light seen through feathers. (see previous posts for more on the development of this painting).

JANUARY 2009

The hawk now has two wings, the contrast between which adds to the dimensionality of the picture. Up till now it has been worked in mainly two dimensions, but now matures into the third.

DECEMBER 2008

The image develops, with the crow adding more darkness to the scene, and the hawk starting to show some barring on the underwing. Contrast is beginning between light and dark, perhaps as an unconscious allegory between the two creatures.

November 2008

Painting is now under way, the silky blackness of the crow is starting to set the tone - with the contrast of the grittier talons, grasping at thin air in the throes of death.