A good friend of mine has recently become obsessed with the annual winter spectacle of crows roosting by the thousands along the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie. Above is one of the many breath-taking photos she sent to me.
While I haven’t yet seen the birds up close and in person, I found the photos so inspirational. I immediately thought, “I must transfer this to paper.”
I started by tracing the outline and then cutting it out of paper, but was disappointed with my paper color choices. The trees seemed too prominent and the birds too obscured. (The camera lens has since been cleaned.)
Then, focusing more on the tips of the branches supporting the birds, I tried it as linocut. I’m still very new at this.
Finally, I went back to my preferred tool, the knife, and used a different photo as inspiration. This one brings the birds front and center.
good work – love seeing the progression!