MATERIALS
• 300g/m2 cold pressed fine grain Aquarelle watercolour paper 320 x 410 mm
• My photo of a tui
• Winsor & Newton, AS & Schmincke watercolours:
• Naples Yellow
• Lemon Yellow
• Yellow Ochre
• Raw Sienna
• Magnesium Brown
• Australian Leaf Green
• Cobalt Green
• French Ultramarine
• Ivory Black
• Titanium Oxide
STEP ONE
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. I liked the gnarled appearance of branches and used several colours to suggest this.
STEP TWO
The frilly “collar” of a tui can be tricky with either negative painting or white strokes on black. So I decided to put some curled strokes on the paper with a latex masking fluid. I have found it wise not to use your best brushes for this.
STEP THREE
The black of the bird is painted over the gum marks, and when the paint is also dry these can be lightly erased off. It is hard to get fine enough lines with the masking fluid, so the white strokes showing on the paper can be made thinner by painting in black around each one with a fine brush. White curly “hairs” of the collar emerge
STEP FOUR
The beak and eye of the tui require care. The eye has some brown tinge. Firstly I painted it black then when dry used a painted damp brush to a part of the eye, dabbed with paper towel and touched in some brown in the lightened area, to merge with the black.
FINAL STEP
The green and blue feather tints on the bird’s back were brushed in with a stiff brush after first lightening the black (dampening and touching with a tissue). The flowers have a cap of different hue from the petals.
HINTS AND TIPS
• A paper towel is useful to keep work clean, especially if working flat, on a table. Turning the painting upside down is often worthwhile also.
• Be patient. If tired, leave it for another day. A fresh look may also be inspirational.
• A conditioning soap wash for brushes before resting them is a good idea.
• Deep colours like indigo are often better than using Ivory Black
• A rigger brush should be in your armoury.
• The early drawing in pencil should be light. Even soft rubbers can smudge. If in doubt leave it, as the pencil won’t always show in the final result.
• Do not give up too soon. In painting a Tui on Kowhai ! once spilt a blob of indigo in a clear area. It wouldn’t come out (watercolour) and I was just about to bin it when I thought, “Why not turn the spill into another bird?” So I did.
• If using another’s photo seek permission.
• To draw freehand, some use a grid to get proportion and shape right. Probably the most important part in human or animal is the right position for the eyes (unless it’s an abstract).
• Real shadows are often not totally black so some detail showing may be best. The direction of light sources should be noted, for highlights as well as shaded areas.
• With care good brushes can last a long time, so do not buy too cheaply, as they may not really be a bargain.
