“If you want to paint birds better, you have to draw birds better.”  David explained that the skills learned in this workshop will not only improve how we paint birds, but everything we paint.  We started our workshop on Friday evening by gathering around David to watch him sketch.  In addition to learning sketching techniques, a core skill, we learned ‘kissed edge blends’ and a lot more!  “There’s nothing like kissed edge blends in oils and acrylic!”, he quipped.  Before David ever commits paint to his good Arches rough paper, he will first do several sketches, then a gray study and/or color study, all in his sketchbook.  “That’s the way I work!”

Samples from David's sketchbooks

  

David is known to sketch using a black ball point pen or 9B woodless graphite pencil.  In this class he recommended a 2B pencil, because it’s easy to erase the lines.  “I don’t care if you can’t draw,” he said.  Most of us have to unlearn how we draw, anyway.  His core sketching technique is called “Stop, Look, Go”.  He asked us “where would you start to sketch a bird?”  The right answer....the beak.  Then look for the shape to attach to the beak.  Assemble the bird sketch like a puzzle and don’t lift your pencil off the paper.  If you position the beak correctly and at the right angle, the rest of the bird falls into place.  Tips....remember you are drawing lines around shapes; bird legs are done in 2 pieces; pay attention to the eye, a reflection is critical.

We spent a lot of time learning how to paint the bird’s eye.  Paint the entire eye in the first wash....remembering to leave a reflection!  Most of us did not do this.  “Reaching for the white paint, is NOT the skill.”  As an example, for one of the birds we started with a wash of burnt sienna, developed the eye using Payne’s gray as the near darkest dark, darkened a little in the upper corners, dropped alizarin crimson around the eye and added neutral tint, as the darkest dark.  Tip....work flat, no gravity.  [See pictures.]

David reminded us that a photograph always compresses color.  Thus, making an image look flat.  In watercolor, if you put the darkest dark in two planes, you flatten your painting.  Develop values and depth in your painting by using a near darkest dark first, then the darkest dark.  Also, anything with a soft or blended edge is painted in the 1st layer.  Before starting the 2nd layer, erase the pencil lines.  Sharp edges are in the next layer.  A rule of thumb...to develop depth, combine soft edges with hard edges.

We practiced ‘kissed edge blends’ and creating soft edges as we painted the Great Horn Bill.  His beak was hard edged and the top of his head, soft.  Using gravity and two large brushes, we started with burnt sienna and a touch of cadmium red for his head, softening both sides with a brush of clean water.  Dabbing with a paper towel helped keep the soft edge.  Notice the blends and softness around his head, eye, on the beak, chest and of course, in the background.  Click here to see the step-by-step process of painting the Great Horn Bill.

A word about background....darker than the main bird, but not as dark as the darkest part of the face.  We learned several techniques.  One, a glisten....wet the background with water and drop in Hooker's green, burnt sienna and some permanent rose.  Second, “the fun way”, which we did on the painting of the Great Horn Bill.  Get all your colors ready in advance.  We used permanent rose, alizarin crimson, and/or Bengal rose...all colors that love Hooker's green...and Payne’s gray.  Drop colors in the background using kissed edge blends.  Leave some white sparkle and white around the bird to drop in spice colors at the end, like Winsor green blue shade, and bright chartreuse green.  Work fast and be expressive.  While damp, add a few branches that will soften into the background.  Click here to see the step-by-step process of adding background behind the Great Horn Bill.

The orange-brown bird	Great Horn Bill      The bird...      The background...

We started by sketching and painting a bright purple and orange round little bird.  Then, an orange-brown bird with distinct markings, eye and bright beak.  Click here to see the step-by-step painting of the orange-brown bird.  We sketched several birds in our sketchbook and finished a painting on Arches rough paper of the Great Horn Bill.  Enjoy these pictures from the workshop.

Student paintings of the purple and orange bird...

Student paintings of the orange-brown bird...

Student paintings of the Great Horn Bill bird...