STEP ONE
Using 140lb Fabriano Hot Press Watercolour paper and an H Graphite Pencil I made a faint drawing of the bird using a grid so that I got the proportions correct.
STEP TWO
I will be leaving the background blank, putting the emphasis on the branches and the bird.
Starting with the branches behind the kookaburra and using curved strokes, I applied Dark Indigo for the undersides, with Warm Grey V and Ivory for the sunlit upper sides, then Earth Green Yellowish and Permanent Green Olive for the lichen on the bark. I then used Walnut Brown to fill in the branches.
For the upper mandible I blended Light Ultramarine, Ivory, Walnut Brown, Mauve and Warm Grey V to get a nice, polished, heavy look.
On the lower mandible I used Light Flesh as the base, then Walnut Brown, Mauve and Light Ultramarine to add shadows, with Olive Green Yellowish where there is a reflection from the branch and grass below.
STEP THREE
Going onto the head of the bird I started with the eye. Firstly using the stylus (small head) I scored around the lower rim and where the highlights were going to be. Then I applied Dark Indigo to the pupil and gently built up the iris with Burnt Sienna and Indian Red, followed by an over rub of Naples Ochre to the lower section and Dark Pthalo Blue in the upper section around the white flashes. I then used the Dr Ph Martin’s Bleed Proof White to really highlight those light reflections. Using Dark Indigo, Walnut Brown,Burnt Sienna and Burnt Ochra I started to build up the feathers. I will return to these later once I can see the comparison to the body.
STEP FOUR
Next I moved onto the wings and the little bit of the back that is visible. Rather than doing it in sections, I first laid down a light layer of the Light Cobalt Turquoise, then used blends of Walnut Brown, Mauve, Indian Red and Burnt Sienna to build up the feathers with Dark Indigo used for shadowing and light outlining. I used Raw Umber to start the feathering on the body.
STEP FIVE
As this is a youngster I wanted to have a bit of a fluffy’ look to him so I did not want to show a lot of individual feathers.In the previous step I had already shown the barring in the area just below the wing, next I set out where I wanted the bare paper to give the illusion on light on the breast feathers.
Then using Burnt Ochre, Dark Indigo, Earth Green Yellowish, Raw Umber, Walnut Brown, Warm Grey II and V I began to build up the breast feathers, feet and shadows in those areas, paying particular attention to the patch below the beak.
Using Burnt Umber I filled in some of the head where I wanted the sections to come forward’.
At this stage I also put in faint shadows under the claws to remind me they are there when I come to filling in the branch this little guy is resting on.
FINAL STEP
Nearly there … the branch this little fella is resting on. It is covered in lichen of different shades and textures, plus with shadows and light the colours were quite complex, so much so, I ended up using almost of the colours I used in the rest of the painting, plus a couple more! Sorry Steve – more than 10! Once done I made a few adjustments – a bit more of a shadow under the beak, and some colour in the lower belly feathers reflecting the colour from the branch.
ARTIST’S HINTS AND TIPS
• Keep a flat brush handy, and regularly brush over your picture to avoid pencil dust being rubbed into your picture. I use a 4 12 cm Hake brush but a cheap DIY painting brush would do the job too.
• Once I have applied coloured pencil and need to rest my hand on it to reach other areas I place a piece of paper under my hand and am very careful not to drag that piece of paper as I move my hand.
• Unless you have a specific colour in mind such a something akin to black, I find if I randomly apply one colour on top of the other there is a chance of it becoming ‘muddy’. Always test the mix before applying it, this way you avoid the possibility of having to start again.
• With the last tip in mind don’t get too disappointed if you get to near the end of the project and find it is not right. Use it as a learning curve, make notes on the picture itself and keep it as a reminder to look at when you get on with the revised version … I had to do that with this project
and it was a good lesson for me!
• I try to keeps the colours to a minimum but sometimes that just doesn’t work (I think I was up to 20 for this painting) but it is worth keeping it in mind!
MATERIALS
• 140lb Fabriano Hot Press watercolour paper
• H Graphite Pencil
• Stylus with a small head and slightly larger head
• Dr Ph Martin’s Bleed Proof White
Faber and Castel Polychromo coloured pencils:
• Black
• Burnt Ochre
• Burnt Sienna
• Cream
• Dark Indigo
• Dark Pthalo Blue
• Earth Green Yellowish
• Indian Red
• Ivory
• Light Cobalt Turquoise
• Light Flesh
• Light Green
• Light Ultramarine
• Mauve
• Middle Cadmium Red
• Naples Ochre
• Olive Green Yellowish
• Pine Green
• Raw Umber
• Walnut Brown
• Warm Grey II
• Warm Grey V
Derwent coloured pencil
• Turquoise Green
