. Audubon and his journals. Birds; 1897. EPISODES 527 My drawings at first were made altogether in water- colors, but they wanted softness and a great deal of finish. For a long time I was much dispirited at this, particu- larly when vainly endeavoring to imitate birds of soft and downy plumage, such as that of most Owls, Pigeons, Hawks, and Herons. How this could be remedied re- quired a new train of thought, or some so-called accident, and the latter came to my aid. One day, after having finished a miniature portrait of the one dearest to me in all the world, a portion of the face was injure
. Audubon and his journals. Birds; 1897. EPISODES 527 My drawings at first were made altogether in water- colors, but they wanted softness and a great deal of finish. For a long time I was much dispirited at this, particu- larly when vainly endeavoring to imitate birds of soft and downy plumage, such as that of most Owls, Pigeons, Hawks, and Herons. How this could be remedied re- quired a new train of thought, or some so-called accident, and the latter came to my aid. One day, after having finished a miniature portrait of the one dearest to me in all the world, a portion of the face was injured by a drop of water, which dried where it fell; and although I labored a great deal to repair the damage, the blur still remained. Recollecting that, when a pupil of David, I had drawn heads and figures in different colored chalks, I resorted to a piece of that material of the tint required for the part, applied the pig- ment, rubbed the place with a cork stump, and at once produced the desired effect. My drawings of Owls and other birds of similar plumage were much improved by such applications; indeed, after a few years of patience, some of my attempts began almost to please me, and I have continued the same style ever since, and that now is for more than thirty years. Whilst travelling in Europe as well as America, many persons have evinced the desire to draw birds in my man- ner, and I have always felt much pleasure in showing it to any one by whom I hoped ornithological delineations or portraitures would be BOWIE KNIFE. Presented by Henry Carleton,. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Audubon, John James, 1785-1851; Audubon, Maria Rebecca, 1843-1925; Coues, Elliott, 1842-1899. New York, C. Scribner
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Keywords: ., bookauthorcoue, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds
