I have wonderful memories of growing up in a rural area of my hometown of Bendigo. Our backyard was full of fruit trees, plums, peaches, apples and apricots. We also had some chooks. I loved feeding them and collecting the eggs. This painting is a trip back in time for me, combining our laden Apricot tree with those colourful chickens.
STEP ONE
On my 51cm x 61cm canvas I sketched up my design using an H grey lead pencil. Although we didn’t have a rooster I decided to put this fellow in to add extra interest to the whole picture. To establish a starting point for tonal balance I blocked in the ground cover first with Acrylic using mixes of Red Earth, Gold Oxide, Warm white, Turners Yellow and Permanent Violet. It is essential when blending colours on the canvas that you add a retarder medium to the paints to slow down the drying process and thus making blending much easier.
STEP TWO
I wanted the rooster to be a feature, and so it was important to get the correct posture for him and also the correct placement.
STEP THREE
The composition is coming together nicely, all of the chooks are looking busy and the rooster is keeping a good eye on everyone! I have now blocked in the fence using Burnt umber, Warm white with a little Permanent Violet and Gold oxide. I have also put in some shading with a mix Ultramarine, Permanent Violet and Burnt umber. I needed the sunlit area of the ground right in the centre of the painting so more Warm white and Yellow light was added to the ground colour in these areas.
STEP FOUR
I have added some warm white and straight Burnt umber to the fence palings to create texture and grains in the wood. I am starting work on the rooster using some of the same colours I have already used in the ground, Gold oxide plus Turners yellow for the neck feathers, Vermillion for the comb and wattle and for the body and tail feathers I used Pthalo green and Prussian blue. For the shine on the feathers I have added Titanium white to the mix.
STEP FIVE
For the shading on the side of the rooster and for depth to the tail feathers I have added Burnt umber and Prussian blue at full strength. I am happy with the tones so far and begin adding finer details to the tail feathers using a liner brush.
STEP SIX
Now to work on the chooks, for the white ones a mix of Violet, Burnt umber and Titanium white was painted on the main body to give shading and contour. Always make this mix darker than you might think it needs to be as once dry you will paint over with straight Titanium white where the sunlight is shining on the feathers, this will make your chooks look much more realistic and well rounded.
Once again Vermillion plus Napthol Red was used for the crests and wattles. I simply add Turners yellow and white to the Red for the beaks. For highlights on the crests and wattles Warm white plus Yellow light works best.
STEP SEVEN
The painting is starting to come to life now with the remainder of the chooks being painted using Gold oxide, Vermillion plus Turners yellow. Warm white and Yellow light were used for the highlights. The legs are always a challenge and once you get them pointing in the right direction you are halfway there! A mix of Warm white, Turner yellow plus Violet I find works well. It is simply a matter of varying the mix, by adding a little Burnt umber to some and more white in the lighter areas. To add that all-important texture to the legs the trusty liner brush and a mix of Violet and Burnt umber works very well.
STEP EIGHT
The tree trunk was a mix of Burnt umber, Ultramarine, Violet plus Warm white. I wanted crisp fresh greens for the leaves, I found Pine green, Yellow light and a little Gold oxide worked well. I added Ultramarine to the mix for the shaded areas. Yellow light, Turners Yellow and Vermillion made up the colours of the Apricots with Warm white added for the highlights. I found dabbing the Warm white on with a soft bristle round brush achieved that fury look that Apricots have.
STEP NINE
The chooks are cleaning up the bounty that has fallen on the ground and looking very busy. I have been concentrating on tonal balance and adding the Agapanthus leaves, they are a nice contrast to the rooster’s feathers and are blending in nicely with the Apricot tree leaves. I have used the same colours with a few different variations as the Apricot leaves. At this point I am going back over the whole painting and adding details shadows and highlights.
FINAL STEP
I’ve added some green grass to the ground and under the tree. I can really see the sun shining now. It is always good to be mindful of knowing when to stop, if you go on adding details at some point you will find you have made your composition too busy! This painting really takes me back to my childhood I hope you have enjoyed the journey with me!
Happy Painting!
ARTIST’S HINTS AND TIPS
• If you are going to add small features like fruit on the ground or rocks make sure you have grounded them by putting shadows underneath or beside them.
• Use a dry bush dipped lightly in paint when looking to achieve a fury texture, use a clean dry brush for each application.
• Observation is one of your best tools! When planning a painting it is essential you are familiar with the subject. Taking photos of your chosen subject is a great help or better still draw up some rough sketches from life. Also the setting or background must fit the subject to give your work credibility.
