Put a Bird on It

I found a lot of different looking birds when I googled "Night Heron" but  I settled on the pose  of this character. For the attitude alone.......

Looking good, right? But remember how it started -- 

First, lots of dark washes to block out the bird and the rocks.  Lighter washes on the background that I then layered up with thicker smears of paint. I knew I would be glazing over the background eventually so I tried a few different colors and let it get patchy.

You can still see some of the original chalk grid through the bird and rocks.

Then some big changes -- layered more paint on the bird, creating some volume and form. Also thin glazes on the background to tamp down the intense color and make more cohesive. I really love the texture and drips on the background now.

Built up the head and body some more making the blue less intense and more of a cool gray. I finally blocked in the rocky ground, which I should have done earlier....

I quite like those legs.

Wasn't sure what to do with those rocks. I was painting them from my imagination.....so I just turned them into 3 dimensional slabs and cubes.

There. Done!

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