I start every painting with a trip to the location I’m going to paint – to get extra photos if needed, but more so to get a feel for what I want to express through the work.
I start every painting with a trip to the location I’m going to paint – to get extra photos if needed, but more so to get a feel for what I want to express through the work.
Blocking in the sky! I normally do at least three or four coats of the sky before I am satisfied!
I start by selecting small specimens of native plants, usually from a friend’s bush block or my garden, or pick up leaves, fruits and twigs from walk trails near my home.
Before the painting can be started I feel that you must do research on the animal and how it moves. I feel the best way to do this is to see them in the wild or in an aquarium setting where you can watch them and take your own photographs.
Drawings are complete, cut out, and pasted onto paper. Using a photocopier that enlarges/reduces your drawing will save you a huge amount of time re-drawing!
I decided not to include as many blossoms as in my photo. Instead of a dark blue sky I opted for a light tint, merging by wet wash with a pale green. This was done after first drawing in the main features with care.