Tag Archives: bird

A Year of Birds: March

It is March, and the weather is finally starting to warm up a bit – it even goes into the mid-40’s on a sunny day! The snow is starting to melt, and the landscape is slowly turning from white to brown. Locals are used to the “spring slush” in which back roads turn into muddy,Continue reading “A Year of Birds: March”

Migrating Sanderling: acrylic painting

A couple of weeks ago, when walking on the beach, I came across a group of sanderlings migrating south. One was exceptionally cute, and this painting is the result. As usual, I painted this with a limited palette of Tit. white, ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, burnt ochre, burnt sienna and a touch of payne’s gray.Continue reading “Migrating Sanderling: acrylic painting”

Mute Swans on the River

I love the beauty of swans, and when I saw these two on a nearby river, I couldn’t resist painting them. I hope you enjoy their elegant grace as much as I do! As usual, my palette was limited: titanium white, burnt umber, cadmium yellow, ultramarine blue and cerulean blue. The swans can be seenContinue reading “Mute Swans on the River”

Egret in the Marsh

I have spent a lot of time walking near, around and in the marshes of North Michigan. This is the habitat where black flies and mosquitoes like to live – but it is all worth it to catch sight of an egret like this one! This painting is based on one that hangs out inContinue reading “Egret in the Marsh”

Juncos Under the Pines: Acrylic Painting

Juncos are small birds that are ground feeders. I often see them under the pines here in North Michigan, and decided to paint a pair of males searching for food in early spring. I used a very limited palette for this painting: ultramarine blue, burnt umber, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, sap green and titanium white.Continue reading “Juncos Under the Pines: Acrylic Painting”

Clay Bas Relief Heron

I decided to try learning bas relief sculpture during the holidays. I still haven’t learned to create the clay support yet, but decided to create a Great Blue Heron in clay. This is my first attempt at bas relief; it was fun! Well, I have a start on it; I will update on my progressContinue reading “Clay Bas Relief Heron”

How to paint an Egret in acrylics: Lesson 2

In the previous post, I shared how I start an acrylic bird painting. In this lesson, I will show the next steps. Next, I start refining my lights and darks, and mid-tones, correcting where needed. I use mainly the palette I mentioned in lesson 1: titanium white, burnt umber, burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, payne’s grey,Continue reading “How to paint an Egret in acrylics: Lesson 2”

Wood Thrush

Wood thrushes are beautiful birds that like to nest in high trees (therefore, near woodlands). This painting is based on one I saw a few weeks ago at a local aviary. I painted this in oils, using a limited palette (ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, burnt umber, cad yellow, titanium white, sap green0

Getting Ready for Christmas (early)

Because last year, I had trouble keeping up with the demand for hand-painted bird ornaments, I decided to start early this year. Today, I started painting the first ones: I sold a bunch of these last year through Wild Birds Unlimited locally; at craft fairs and by commission. They are fun to do! I’m hopingContinue reading “Getting Ready for Christmas (early)”

Male Cardinal: acrylic bird painting

I love cardinals, and when I saw this one when I was visiting the zoo to take some wildlife shots (he was hanging around, almost tame, let me get within a few feet of him) I decided to do his portrait. I have learned some interesting things about cardinals over the years. Their feathers areContinue reading “Male Cardinal: acrylic bird painting”