so this is where i'm at at the moment - one wing to go! all the while, i'm having to be careful about the overall tones, as i'm constantly wary of losing the gull on the background....
here is a close up of the tail detail. i have exaggerated the feathers a little in area: partly because i've had to make them up, as this area of the photo wasn't in focus, and i couldn't see the detail, and partly i was enjoying the more 'dramatic' effect it was having in lifting the drawing a little to make it more lively. because of the dark background i think i risk this drawing losing itself a little and being quite flat, so anywhere i can add a bit of drama may help.
this picture is just to give you an idea of the scale of the drawing (it's an A1 drawing board).