Bird Knitting Nest

I have just uploaded my old watercolor painting into my Redbubble online store. It is a bird that was knitting a nest. I made this painting when I was still learning watercolor. I was not experienced enough in controlling the wash techniques of this wet media. So, I used watercolor pencils to do the artwork.

a bird was weaving a nest

There are certain species of birds that weave their nests like pockets or socks that are hanging in twigs of trees or in thin vine in the jungle. Birds make this kind of nest to avoid predator. Usually a a female bird weaves a nest from dry grass and fallen twigs after mating season as a preparation to lay eggs.

Watercolor Painting of male Lesser Birds of Paradise

As a tourist guide, I often organize birdwatching tour to the forest of Klasow valley in Sorong regency - West Papua province of Indonesia for birdwatchers who want to see birds of paradise and other tropical birds. If you are interested in taking a hiking and birding tour, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com
Here is the watercolor painting male Lesser Birds of Paradise which I have drawn and painted since three days ago. First, I created its sketch after studying the anatomy of the birds based on some photographs, drawings and videos. I also have seen the bird a lot of times when I guide birdwatchers in Arfak mountains of Manokwari, Klasow valley of Sorong regency and in Tambrauw mountains.
After making the sketch, I added colors on to it using Derwent watercolourpencils. For his yellow head and neck, I used Deep Cadmium 6. For his dark brown chest, stomach and tail, I washed it with Burnt Yellow Ochre 60 in combination with Sepia 53 for the feather lines. I gave Kingfisher Blue 38 for the bill and Mineral Green 45 for the his throat.
The branch of a tree where the paradise bird was perching consisted of 2 main colors, i.e. Emeral Green 46 for the leaves and Bottle Green 43 for their lines. The wooden branch was colored with Burnt Yellow Ochre 60 and Copper Beech 61 for the bark lines. The legs of the bird were colored with Kingfisher Blue 38.

Male Lesser Birds of Paradise

Because I used the picture for my Tropical Art Shop in Zazzle, I had to import the artwork into Adobe Photoshop and removed its background. So, it can be printed on a lot of products such as t-shirts, mugs, and towel.
I hope that all of you like this watercolor painting and are interested in ordering some products in my Redbubble Paradise Bird artworks too. Just click the drawing above to see my portfolios.

Lesser Bird of Paradise - a pencil sketch

I have just created a pencil sketch of a male Lesser Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea minor). This is not a final drawing of the bird. I used Staedtler 2B graphite pencil to do the drawing.
I still have to refine it and add some colors using my Derwent Watercolour Pencils. I also plan to make the digital version of the sketch using Inkscape. I don't know how long it will take to finish the artwork. It can be 3 days or even 1 week. I cannot stay for a whole day coloring the sketch.

My pencil sketch of male Lesser Birds of Paradise 

In the previous article about Paradise Birds, I said that most of them live in tropical rainforest of New Guinea. They like to dance in the mornings and in the afternoon. They mate with many partners. Because of their beautiful feather, they have been hunted by human for centuries.
Paradise birds, together with other birds, disperse seeds of the fruits which they eat to all corners of the forest. This is a very important role in preserving rainforest.
Rainforest absorbs CO2 gases that we emit from our cars, motorcycles, stoves and cigarettes and at the same time releases Oxygen that we breathe every second. Therefore we must preserve rainforest, protect paradise birds and other wild animals in the jungle.

Birdwing Butterfly Ornitopthera priamus

Here is the watercolor painting of the birdwing butterfly Ornitopthera priamus that I saw when I was guiding a British tourist in the north coast area of Manokwari regency. The insect was collecting nectar from hibiscus flower. It did not stay still when hanging on the flower. Actualy it was 'floating' in the air with its wings continue to flutter. The butterfly needed a few seconds to collect the nectar before moving to another flower.
There are two versions of the artworks, i.e. the watercolor and the vector drawing which I made using Inkscape. I usually make manual drawing and add some colors with my Derwent watercolour pencils as a study before continuing the process to digital illustration.

Birdwing Butterfly

In the past, I used Macromedia Freehand MX but now I use Inkscape.
This butterfly illustration is now available as printed products in the form of t-shirts, hats, cell phone case, travel mug, and even pendant necklaces in my zazzle butterfy goods.
You could support my art creation works by ordering some of them.

Birdwing Butterfly Teapot by tropicalart

The above product is a teapot that is made of bright white porcelain. I hope that you like it.

Male Lesser Birds of Paradise

I have just uploaded this vector drawing into my Redbubble online store that I created using Inkscape. It is a male Lesser Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea minor). The bird lives in tropical rainforest of New Guinea. As a tourist guide, I organize hiking and birding tours in the jungle of Klasow valley and Arfak mountains to watch the birds of paradise, cuscus possum and other wild animals that make the tropical rainforest of West Papua as their natural habitat. If you are interested in taking hiking and birding tour in the forest of Klasow valley of Sorong regency of West Papua - Indonesia, please contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.

Male Lesser Birds of Paradise

Male Lesser Birds of Paradise have to perform courtship dance to attract his female birds for mating. This dance is usually performed early in the mornings and in the afternoons before sunset. The dance performance has been an interesting tourist attraction. I have guided hundreds of nature lovers and birdwatchers on a hiking and birding trip in Arfak mountains for visitors who want to watch the paradise birds. The duration of the rainforest tour is usually between 3 to 4 days. We will stay in tents or the villagers houses (depending on the location that we are heading to). 

Birds of paradise and other birds are the guardian of the rainforest. They disperse seeds from the fruits that they eat throughout the forest. Tropical rainforest ecosystem is very important in our life because it absorbs CO2 gases which we emit every day from cars, motorcycles, and stoves. At the same time, the rainforest releases Oxygen which we breathe every second.

Now you could order this digital illustration as printed materials on various Redbubble products such as T-shirts, hoodie, iPhone case, and duvet cover or even Drawstring bag and spiral notebook. Please, click this Lesser Birds of Paradise Redbubble for more info. 

Verandah of Balinese House

I used to stay for around two and a half months in Bali several years ago. I was in Ubud and liked the town very much. It was an opportunity for me to see Balinese art and culture. I spent most of my time visiting traditional handicraft, art museums and painting galleries.
It was easy to find art supplies store in Ubud. So, I decided to buy an A4 size sketchbook and began drawing the veranda of the house where I stayed. Balinese houses were unique compared. They had carvings on the wooden pillars that support the ceiling and roof of the house. The walls of the house consisted of concrete materials and red bricks with some relief and carvings.
One thing that I like the most about Balinese house is that it is surrounded by green trees. This is a good concept of eco-living.

The Veranda of a Balinese House in Ubud

I could understand that Balinese life cannot be separated from art. Art has been an integral part of their cultural and religious activities. It is not surprising if we see that millions of tourists like to visit Bali every year.

Lesser Birds of Paradise in Watercolor

This is the picture of Lesser Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea minor) that I created using Derwent Watercolor Pencils. The birds live in forest of New Guinea (the largest tropical island in the world). I watch the birds while I guide tourists or birdwatchers on a hiking and birding tour in Klasow valley of Sorong regency or lower montane forest of Arfak mountains in West Papua region.
If you are interested in taking a rainforest hiking and birding tour in Klasow valley of Sorong regency of West Papua - Indonesia, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or send message to my whatsapp number +6281332245180.
Click the following picture to see my portfolio in Redbubble:

Paradise birds and other birds play very important role on the ecosystem of rainforest. They disperse seeds from fruits which they eat to all corners of the forest.
I introduce ecotourism in this region to economically empower the indigenous people and at the same time preserve tropical rainforest environment.
This watercolor artwork can now be ordered as printed materials in a lot of products on my Tropical Art Store. One of them is the following kitchen towel decorated with the painting:

Paradise Birds in Watercolor Hand Towel by tropicalart

You can also have a look at my Redbubble store for Paradise Birds Watercolor Products

Sketch of a Woman Sitting Cross-legged

Human is the most difficult subject to draw. Why is that? Because not all of experienced artists can draw human figure with balanced or accurate proportions. If we draw a tree, scenery of the beach and mountains, the mistakes that we make in the form of branches, waves of the sea won't be easily recognized by people who see the artwork. It wil be different if the subject which we draw is human figure. If one of the legs is shorter, or the neck is longer than usual people who see the drawing can easily identify it.
That's the reason why artists need a lot of practices to achieve an expertise that is adequate to draw human with good proportions.
Below is the drawing of a woman in sitting cross-legged position. In the beginning, I made the sketch of the woman as a whole from her head to toes. I drew a lot of lines and erase them many times before I could determine that the proportion of the drawing is well balanced.

A Young Lady Sitting Cross-Legged

After that I did some hatchings and coloring all over her nude body. Although she is fully naked, I did not expose parts of her body that are sensitive. Let the viewers imagine how those parts behind the folding hands and crossed legged look like in their minds.
I don't want to make full color drawing or painting of this naked lady. This is only an ordinary sketch of human figure that I create for the purpose of study. Yes, I study human forms using pensil lines. If there are still parts of her body that are not perfect, please, understand that I am still in the learning process.
An artist who can make very good sketches has got strong foundation to draw or paint anything. And that's the uniqueness of visual art.

Hibiscus Flower in Watercolor

Here is a small watercolor painting of pink Hibiscus flower that I made using Derwent Watercolor Pencils. I saw it when I guided a British student who spent two weeks trekking in the jungle to study tropical flowers. At first, I did not give special attention to this flower because it was so common every where in my town. Later I found that I had never made any drawings or watercolour paintings of hibiscus. I decided to make a little sketch of the flower using my 2B Staedtler pencil but later I gave more color on it.

Pink Hibiscus - watercolor on paper

This little painting attracted the attention of someone in the USA who saw it in my tropical art Redbubble online store. She ordered it and this hibiscus flower became my first design sold in my Redbubble Tropical Art online store. I still don't know who bought it but I hope that she likes the artwork.

Hibiscus Flower T-shirt

There are a lot of products in the online store that need transparent background. To meet the demand, I have to remove the background of the digital version of the painting using Adobe Photoshop. The following is the link in my Redbubble account for readers who are interested in ordering t-shirts, cell phone cases/ skins, travel mug or totebags and spiral notebook: Pink Hibiscus Flower

Swimming with Manta

Manta is a very big fish. It looks like a bird. I saw it a few months ago when I was guiding some Czech tourists in Raja Ampat. There is a place in the open sea where manta fish like to gather to clean their bodies. People call the place Manta Point.  When we were at the point, we could feel sea current in the area. So, we had to swim continuously to keep our position above it.
If you have never seen manta in its natural habitat, please, look at the following sketch of the Manta Fish with a women freediver.

Cleaning Station
Manta "glide" or "fly" around the place while their bodies are being cleaned from tiny marine creatures that attach to them by small fish that live in the nearby rocks. The small fish eat the "dirts" whereas the mantas get free cleaning service.
It is a kind of mutualism symbiosis between the giant fish and the small fish.

Watercolored version of the Manta sketch

I work as tourist guide in West Papua, I often accompany tourists in the jungle to do wildlife watching and at sea to enjoy snorkeling. That's why you will see that most of my drawings or sketches in this blog are derived from nature as the source of my art inspiration.
Ecotourism
Ecotourism that I promote helps local people generate some income by working as cooks, porters, rangers and boat drivers and at the same time preserve the marine and rainforest environment.
Vector Graphic
I also like to make vector drawing that I develop from my sketches. The drawing below is not exactly the same as my sketch above but it reflects the same idea about how big the mantas are compared to human as represented by the freediver.

This vector drawing is now available as printed materials in Redbubble. One of them is the t-shirt below:

Swimming with Manta Ray T-shirt