Goldfinch in Winter (1 Viewer)

Another one from the wayback machine long, long ago.

This is a watercolour about 20 x 30 cm. It's one of several birdy pictures I used to do as presents to my parents. They were bird lovers and really enjoyed them.

I wanted to put in a background but was terrified I'd ruin it as this was done a few days before Christmas. Now I know to put the background in first as part of the design but it's still something I struggle with. The grey 'pipe' is supposed to be a plexiglas bird feeder full of tiny seeds.

This was done from a photograph I took of the bird on a feeder outside my parent's kitchen window in Cleveland, Ohio.

The technique was rather simple once a detailed drawing was done. I used a warm grey wash to give the body some form, followed by a few washes of colour and then dry brush for the feathers and other details.

I found that using a grisaille lets me solve the form problems right away so I can then concentrate on trying it make it look like a critter. I find trying to handle the form values and the details at the same time difficult.

Thanks for having a look.

db

Beautiful!

Very nicely captured - a familiar scene on my feeders here in WA state as well!