chickadee backwards

here is another start to finish....this time a bird 

i plan on posting my 'out-takes' as well

so folks can see when i mess up. i hope that this reminds me to never take it for granted, reminds others that even though it may look easy from the other side, it isn't.

and that only by keeping going do you get anywhere

so here goes with the chickadee, this time backwards ok?

i liked (at that time) the weird moody color of the background. while i still do, i realized through out the series that it wouldn't work with each bird, so while here it makes the chickadee look alive, with say, the cardinal, it would be a disaster.

almost finished, darks needed correcting

now this painting also started me on a bit of a study of lichen! as the twig this bird was on was covered in it! i found a few different kinds just outside my door! i even found fairy cup lichen! and then i wanted to start a terrarium for some lichen and mosses that i found - i did not get the terrarium finished but i do intend on making one, as THAT is how interesting i found my very small fast study of lichen, fungi and mosses.

working on wing and tail feathers

while i am painting i am also half in a meditative trance, sometimes i listen to music but i don't have to. while in this state, i tend to feel my subjects, i can feel the fluffy feathers, and hear the rustle of the wings. i don't hear bird song normally though. but i can almost hear a heart beat... if i get to that state,then the finished painting should be good. i remember telling one of my teachers that when i was in art school..... thankfully she understood and didn't call the men in the white suits for me.

developing the darks further

now this chickadee i liked very much when i did him, as i felt that the feathers were softly shaded enough, and he was feathery enough for you to hopefully feel his softness and his fluffy roundness. i like chickadees in general as they are cheeky little birds who really aren't too afraid of anything. and they are smart too.....they used to follow me around outside until i filled their feeders.

starting to develop the darks

they are here all year long in my corner of PA, and most folks love to watch their antics at the winter feeders. 

there are a few different kinds of chickadee, but i only see the black capped and the carolina. 

they looks very similar.

and they have HUGE heads compared to their bodies, so they look like babies or cute cartoon birds.

first washes

so there you have one of the birds painted from start to finish... although you do have to go backwards to see that