Lights and more...

[molucca]

Anorter try with a change to the eraser. Rich

[molucca]

Illumination of the lower wing by erasing the application of light in the dark areas and allowing light to remain in the lighter areas.

Rich

[TwidderBird]

thanks for the explanation of the blue, blank butterfly--Rich. understand this well. clipart;this is what I've been working on with X.

have no idea what Drifter's "intersect shapes" are, but do need an explantion of what is/how to make -- light caster (sounds and looks like your using a shape and intending to cast light on it). for the eraser what application are you using (as you know I cannot get my X eraser to work on freehand)

Ive been missing from the site here some cuz very tired, lately. your honest evaluation of the use of white on my "water" is appreciated. I'll see how it goes for me.

very nice sea scene. but you got me on this bird (piper or similar type family would be my guess) very unfamiliar with sea/beach birds. will have to look it up in my bird books--but I'll enjoy that

[molucca]

This Erase Blending Mode is done in Expression. I made a color and a grayscale stroke. The color stroke was placed on a layer in back. The grayscale stroke was placed on a layer in front. As a grayscale stroke, the the white becomes transparent. The gray becomes a variation in transparency. Erase Blending depends on transparency. I applied light strokes under the erasing stroke. Where the erase stroke is dark, erasing occurs. This is a non destructive method, and things can be moved about. The light strokes were grayscale stokes, too. Therefore, they can be colorized. The dark areas in the erasing stroke eliminate the light.

Rich

[TwidderBird]

Rich, about your bird:
this is a large and difficult group of wading birds to id from; even more so when you have very little experience with this group as I do. definately is in the sandpiper family (Family Scolopacidae--61 species in N. America)

your photo gave me very good important info: 1. the bill is medium long, straight, black 2. the bill is broad at the base and gray 3. the bird has a short 'white eybrow' 4. the bird had an incomplete white 'eye ring' 5. a 'black mark thru the eye' 6. a white belly 7. all other colors appear indistintive (gray or buff-brown) 8. it appears the legs are straw yellow or yellow-greenish in color

what your photo cannot tell me is also alot of informaion--for example the size. what are the color/marks on the back from the top of head down to the tail. any important markings during flight or pecular behavoir....etc.

based on the info I have I feel fairly good in saying that it's most likely a:
Willet--if it is 14-16inches in size and tends towards buff rather than gray. but if this is so the legs should be more blue/gray than yellow. how accurate is your color?
Wandering Tattler --if it is about 11inches in size and tends towards gray. the color of the legs in your photo would then be accurate. best I can do unless you get a photo of the same bird in flight (in flight there is a distinct difference between these two). birds are still in their winter plumages and don't yet have the more distinct, colorful breeding plumages

hope you enjoy
nance

[molucca]

The shots were early moring before any good lighting. The birds are more like 11 inches tall. As I remember, their wings had black and white markings in flight. Rich

[molucca]

Pelicans at Natural Bridges. I separated the foreground from the sky, and replaced the sky background (Xara). Rich

[TwidderBird]

you know, it's almost march. I don't know how long/quickly it takes birds to put on their colors. typically the one's I see are already in their colors...so perhaps your giving me older photo's ...

your pelican photo is breeding season with one adult and one immature. the other birds are cormorants--double crested I believe with at least a couple juveniles. the second picture is definately a Willet--you observed the critical mark of bold black and white on wings in flight (here there is no yellow in the legs). the lovely sandpiper is either a sanderling or one of the 'peeps' (western or semipalmated most likely but part of the bill is hidden in the sand?)--a sanderling is known as the 'wave chaser' and will also have more bold black & white when flying

I never thot of using the eraser in the fashion as you described. interesting idea.
I won't be back on the site for a bit--too tired. thankyou very much for sharing your birds


nance

[molucca]

The image data from the pelican photo was February 10 2005. I photographed them the first time I photographed Monarchs. The Monarch file data matched the date. An older photo, but at the same time of year. Rich

[molucca]

Bird object drawings that I used to extract the images. Rich