Where Eagles Dare

I originally began using eagles in my artwork during my GCSE art course. I think one of the choices for coursework and a final exam was "Based on Birds" and I remember using peacocks, vultures and sparrow-hawks before deciding that eagles were what I enjoyed capturing the most (figuratively speaking of course!). They have a real look of strength but also elegance about them and I find it fascinating that they can transform from a creature of magnificent beauty, to one that hunts and kills prey. Of course the same is true of all predators/birds of prey. The range of movement is pretty astonishing and can be incredibly dramatic. I've always tended to prefer depicting profile/headshots as a result, but hopefully you'll agree that doesn't make them any less striking.

You'll see that on a couple of occasions I've represented the same image in different mediums. Biro was particularly fun but requires a deft touch and a great deal of patience as normally I would rely on different pencils to create different shades and textures. I also developed a technique for creating an almost photographer-style backdrop on some of these pictures; essentially making use of coloured pencil shavings and massaging them into the paper. On other occasions I spent as long drawing the background as on the focal subject (see the eagle in front of a mountain range). There were many other examples but these are my favourites. The last image hints at why I'm less keen on painting!

This was well before the days of Prisma but if anyone wants me to play around with different filters please don't hesitate to get in touch. It's too long ago for me to remember/find the original images that I would have used. If you own any of the likenesses please let me know and I will add a credit.