Casting Shadows

Whilst sat sketching a couple of weeks ago, the big sandstone boulders at the back of the mere at Old Moor suddenly became appealing subjects! It was a nice sunny day, too, and everything was casting these deep shadows.Wigeon  were feeding nearby and frequently kept retreating back on to the water whenever they were disturbed (or just fancied it!). To make a pic I stuck a sketch of a drake wigeon in the foreground, and here it is! The water was a lovely deep blue/grey colour, which contrasted very nicely with bird and the boulders. I used several layers of pencil to get the hopefully convincing effect of softly rippling water. Not quite Swarovski Bird Artist of The Year stuff but perhaps a step in the right direction!