…. belated draw a bird day
February 9, 2016
It has become ‘belated everything’ for me lately…so why not this as well.
2.5″ x 3.75″ watercolour on Arches Hot Press 140#
We’ve come to know this as the English Robin (at least here in Canada), though I see it referred to elsewhere as the European Robin (which of course no Brit would ever go for).
Here are some (possibly) little-known tidbits about it: “. . . The distinctive orange breast of both sexes contributed to the European robin’s original name of redbreast (orange as the name of a colour was unknown in English until the sixteenth century, by which time the fruit of that name had been introduced). In the fifteenth century, when it became popular to give human names to familiar species, the bird came to be known as robin redbreast, which was eventually shortened to robin. As a given name, Robin was originally a diminutive of Robert . . . ” [ Lack, D. (1950). Robin Redbreast. Oxford: Oxford, Clarendon Press. p. 44]
Personally, I have never seen this bird except depicted and written about in stories like “The Secret Garden”. But whenever I paint a miniature of them, it is purchased very quickly, and usually by a homesick, transplanted member of a country ‘across the pond’. It would be a treat to see them in their natural setting.
weisserwatercolours 
….awww, ‘dear’ is so nice to say about this, Sharon, thank you!
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…. oh, thank you so much, Laura–I bought a strong pair of those cheap magnifying glasses at the pharmacy–and of course, very tiny brushes
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…. thank you (again) Cynthia for your kindnesses and observations–somehow ‘tiny’ seems to fit these Robins, whereas our own demand a bit larger depiction
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….thank you very much, Catherine
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….thank you Teri!
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….my, thank you so much Charlie
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. . . oh how sweet they must be! thank you again, Rebecca
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A very beautiful picture, Lance. Come on over, we’ve plenty of these little chaps in our garden (but no snow)!
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You really packed in a lot to such a tiny piece…this is wonderful!! Stunning robins, Lance! ❤️
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This is so beautifully done! Love it.
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Beautiful!
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I like Sharon Mann’s word “dear” to describe these little birds.
I am in awe of your ability to render them in such a lovely, tiny watercolour! (my laptop is rebelling at the extra “u” in watercolor, so I retype and ignore the red line…)
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They really are beautifully done and I can’t believe how small this painting is! Magnificent, Lance!
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What beautiful details for such a small painting. These birds are dear. Thanks for posting Lance.
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DONE. Thank you Barry.
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I wish I could see this larger.
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