Sanderlings

The cute little birds in this weekend's painting are called Sanderlings. They are a winter migrant to the UK, so can be seen anywhere along the British coast at this time of year. I have only seen them a few times, once on the beach in Hythe, Kent and a few times on the sandy beaches of Guernsey. They are very energetic little things, and run up and down the beach as the waves break and rush backwards, exposing the little crustaceans and molluscs that they eat.
I thought they would make a delightful composition, due to their speckled plumage. What I enjoy the most about this painting is the reflection in the sand. This was achieved by wetting the paper around the birds, then blobbing 'paynes grey' (my favourite and the most useful colour in my palette!) onto it with a thick, flat brush. I left some areas pale and added white inky streaks to areas that would catch the light around their feet and beaks. The finishing touch was the black reflection of their legs, again applied in small horizontal strokes to give that watery effect.
I really enjoyed painting these birds and I will probably try similar subjects in the future. I have often seen Turnstones on the beach in Hythe. These are beautiful little birds with striking summer plumage, which could easily be recreated with my speckled, flicking method of applying paint