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| This was the quick sketch, just the basic shapes of this goldfinch in winter attire...my favorite HB mechanical pencil works great for these sketches. |
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| I decided a slightly more dynamic pose would be nice, so I waited till the bird turned its head and re-drew! |
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| I added larger shapes first in color... |
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| ...and continued to develop the details. I got out the goauche to add a few fine white feathers and the sparkle in his eye. |
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| You can see it's been a while since I did him! I meant to post the progression sooner...I see I added the finished piece shortly after I painted it! |
Just delightful! Wonderful! Thanks for sharing the progression!
ReplyDeleteLooks like he could fly right off the page! I, too, like seeing the steps you took to get there. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you both so much! I'm loving getting to see the birds so closely...
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed seeing this...I have been watercoloring birds lately but I think that I am trying to put in too much detail. I am spending so much time on them & then I am not satisfied, you know? Any tips on how to just "hint" at the different parts of the bird? I am quite a devoted birder & am so used to study them so intently that I wonder if that is what is sabotaging my painting efforts. Thanks for sharing - you have a real talent!
ReplyDeleteMarcia, just last night I was looking at a new book, John Muir Laws' book on drawing birds. What a wealth of information! (And I blush to realize that after looking through it I discovered I painted the finches' foot wrong! Oh well...) Anyway, lots of tips on observation, actual skeletal makeup, types of legs, groups of feathers and how they are placed, AND how to simplify! It's a treasure!
ReplyDeleteThank you Kate for showing how you made this lovely picture, I usually have to look in the field guide to get the finer details. I'll look out for that book too, it sounds great!
DeleteIt's a stunner, Valerie! I feel as if I know SO MUCH MORE about bird anatomy now...and the parts on drawing what you see, not what you know are worth the price of the book!
DeleteOh yes, and one of the best tips Law suggests is to draw what you see, out in the field, not what you "know." Don't worry about making a field-guide-worthy sketch...sharpen and hone your observational skills on the bird's actions. He also says if you can't see the eye, don't draw it. If you can't see the feet, don't draw them. THAT surprised me! But his on the spot sketches were simplicity itself, and I loved them.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy seeing someone else's process.
ReplyDeleteLove to see your progression. Stunning and soooo fresh!
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