Red-whiskered bulbul

Red-whiskered bulbuls (scientific name: Pycnonotus jocosus) can be seen in Singapore if you look hard enough. They are recognised by their an upright black crested head and crimson red patches under their tail and on their cheeks(which are adorably also called "whiskers").

Photo taken from Singaporebirds.blogspot.sg

 
I myself have never seen it until it was under my block one day, below a tree. I managed to capture it with a zoom lens camera.

According to the book "The naturalist guide to the birds of Singapore", this bird is an uncommon resident of Singapore, and originate from escapes. It is also noted that its population started in the 1910s, but is "continually supplemented by recent escapes, since the species is popular as a pet bird here." Interestingly though, it is usually seen in pairs but recorded small flocks of as many as 20 have been seen.  Reportedly, its nesting is from April to May. 

The Red-whiskered bulbul feeds on fruits such as berries and figs, on top of seedlings and flower buds. It also feeds on insects that are on trees, branches or on the ground. 

In fact, this bird was featured on S$5 notes of the "Bird Series" currency notes released by the Monetary Authority of Singapore between 1976 and 1984. 

You can listen to the sound it makes here. (Video taken from Youtube)

Faber Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour Pencils Review

I had a rare opportunity to travel to Tokyo last week and managed to find these Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils from Faber Castell at an art supply store called 'Sekaido' in Shinjuku area. Even though the cost of each pencil was pricier than other brands of watercolour pencils, I was excited and had to get my hands on them as I've heard that they are one of the best watercolour pencils in the market.

When I colour a subject with these pencils, the texture and feel of them is somewhat like any other watercolour pencil or coloured pencil for that matter. However, once I added water to "liquify" the colours, the creaminess and vibrancy of the different colours are revealed. The smooth and buttery consistency definitely shows that this brand of watercolour pencils are a class above the rest. I would most likely get more next time I get the chance.

 These are the few ones that I got. (above) and the swatches of the colours I chose (below).

Another plus point on these pencils that may be a cut above the rest is that they do not leave streaky or smudgy lines when you wet the colours. This is probably due to its smooth and creamy consistency, and highly pigmented quality which I really appreciate.

From what I have tried and tested, the greens and yellow are for sure the brightest colours I have encountered for a watercolour pencil. Another brand that I think may come close to these Faber Castell Albrecht Durer pencils are probably the Derwent Inktense watercolour pencils. However, Albrecht Durer ones are definitely creamier when water is introduced.

Here's a video taken from Youtube on a review of these pencils. 

Hope you enjoyed reading this review. Do leave a comment if you like. Cheers! :)

Eclectic Blossoms

Breaking out from conventional art materials and into exploring watercolour crayons can be fun and exciting. Trying out the Caran D'ache Neocolor II watersoluble crayons that I have kept for quite some time can be daunting at first because you don't know what to expect, especially when you are used to conventional tube watercolours and don't know what to expect. 

However, the thick and highly concentrated pigments of these crayons make it easy to work with. Almost butter-like, these crayons are soft and easy to layer on paper (I used watercolour paper) and very responsive to water, making it easy for colours to spread around a page. 

I sketched out a page of flower and coloured them using these Caran D'ache Neocolor II crayons. I outlined the pencil marks with India Ink to make the flowers pop. This is  called "Eclectic blossoms"

 

 Also on the subject of these crayons, I also used the greens of these crayons (what I have) to make it into a background, and I sprayed some colour shimmer spray on top of it. Here's the result. You can see the vibrancy and vividness of the colours. Love it.