Second Watercolor (1 Viewer)

I was inspired to paint the bare, pink head of the Turkey Vulture, after watching a vultures head, and white beak tip, glow brightly as the sun hit them. I really do not know why people consider them "ugly", they are very beautiful, in my mind.

I realize that the ear-lobe shouldn't be so blood-red, and that the small-amount of body shown should show more feather-detail. And the pupil should be clearer. Any other suggestions?

Hmmm, this scan was better than the Elegant Trogon.

EDIT: The head is a pink-lemonade color in real-life, not so purple. I take that back about the scan...

nice! :t: :clap:

Yeah I can't think of anything else worth saying, besides what you covered. Well done.

:t: Nice one Tim.

Here's some tips about painting eyes for you which may help with your next bird portrait.

When painting eyes try to remember that an eyeball is a sphere. Light enters through the clear surface and is then reflected back from the opposite inside surface. The result is often, but not always, a subtle reflected highlight opposite the main highlight. Also, being spherical, the eye will reflect its surroundings to an extent. The result can be almost a landscape in miniature. The bright white spot is a reflection of the sun and is not always present, if the sun is hidden then the bright highlight won't appear or it can be broken up by reflections of trees or buildings for example. Try looking at a marble under different lights to get some ideas. I've attatched a close up of one of my barn owl paintings to illustrate some of these points.

All in all I reckon you're doing a great job so far, so keep it up! And keep posting to this section of the forum where we all love to see 'em!

By the way, well done for choosing a subject that doesn't get painted often and challenges what people think of as beauty.

Woody

I think it looks great, the lack of detail in the body is not a problem at all to my eye. Perhaps a stronger background to make the shape of the bill stand out, but that's all I can say. Otherwise, a lovely watercolour study and a great subject.

Nice, Tim! Kudos for a truly underappreciated bird, too.

Thanks all, and thanks Woody for the helpful tips on eyes! By the way, is that a Barn Owl eye?

tim.birdboy said:

Thanks all, and thanks Woody for the helpful tips on eyes! By the way, is that a Barn Owl eye?

Click to expand...

A little cluette for you:

I've attatched a close up of one of my barn owl paintings to illustrate some of these points.

Click to expand...

That eye is sickeningly good.
As for the vulture, I like that painting a lot. I'm not sure you need a lot of feather detail in it, it looks okay as it is. Maybe the eye needs to be defined more, though.

Very nice work Tim and I like the subject too. Woody's brilliantly illustrated tutorial is excellent advice. Try focusing on what are the salient characteristics of the bird - ie. those which make up the true character. Eyes and 'face' expressions are critical in portraiture, but powerful feet (peregrine, eagle) fancy plumage (peafowl, hummers) are important when working on different species. Part of the artist's job is to make these decisions - if all you do is make everything in the same high-focus, the result will be quite static.

That's why I like your piece - the periferal plumage takes a backseat.

Tim BB, Yep, a barn owl, just because they have beautiful eyes!

Tim W makes a good point too, a turkey vulture's plumage is pretty non-descript so focussing on the head, face and shoulders can be the right thing to do in this case.

Tips and tutorials can get confusing sometimes because those doing the tipping and tutoring all have their own styles. In the end you should paint as you feel is right and you will, as you develop your own style, take in the information that is relevant to the way you paint and store the rest as useful but not essential.

Keep painting!

Woody