With the glitzy Christmas lights overhead, and the gloomy water below I remember those life forms which for me are like the baubles of the sea. Although I was stung pretty good, swimming in the bays around Thanet have given me the cosiest memories to reflect on over the winter.
I wrote a lot about the different jellyfish I encountered in the North Sea, you can find a lot more information about them on my NemobySea blog.
The Fulmar Return
This is the perfect time to be posting about these guys, for most of the month of November I’ve been scanning the cliffs looking out for one of my favourite coastal birds and, this very morning, what do you know — THEY ARE BACK!
These flying trapeze, tube-nosed beauties often get overlooked as they are mistaken for gulls, but are actually related to albatrosses. We’re very lucky to have them nest here in Birchington as it’s one of their last nesting sites until Essex.
I painted this fulmar two years ago and it was a significant challenge for me being a white subject matter on white paper. If you wanted to learn more about this painting and the fulmar in general, head on over to NemobySea.com where additionally you can see what I look like in a swim cap (spoiler: really dumb!).
Herring Gull Heads for my Nemo by Sea Project
I have painted many local sea birds for my little coastal project, I used to struggle with them especially the beaks not looking right, but as the years have gone on, they have become my biggest inspiration and a great love.
Looking at pictures online compared to donning a pair on binoculars and looking directly at them has been a big awakening for me, I can’t quite express how I feel when I observe birds this way and whilst they slide down the blog, hidden away, I thought I’d bring a small collection back here to talk about.
If you’d like to see the original post for this piece, and another gully head I painted in a similar style feel free to visit my Nemo by Sea blog.
Octopus inspired by Minnis Monster
I’ve always been interested in our tentacled friends and since seeing an epic monster wash up at a local bay (check my NemobySea blog), it was the spark to not only paint the monster, but also practice painting the humble common octopus too.
I love how these miniature paintings are coming along, it allows less trepidation when starting a painting, little commitment but maximum fun and I often get better results. I have an entire book filled with these little guys and it’s one of my biggest creative breakthroughs this year.
Overcooked Spider, but Gully Glory
I started this scratchy spider a while ago, and you may have seen it teased in my newsletter, where I started being a little smudgier with my drawings. The spider I totally overworked but from the ruins I took away a more interesting shading technique.
I use an eraser to carve into the smudges creating more interesting positive and negative spaces, meaning I can give texture to fluffier beasts and intense highlights to smoother ones.
Iconic Birds and Dismembered Claws
If you’re wondering how my herring gulls turned out, and what more I’ve been painting this summer, check out my NemobySea blog, there’s some super iconic birds waiting to be oggled and a dismembered claw, because birdies got to eat too!