Concentration

This piece was an experiment with acrylics. I don't usually wok with acrylics because I don't know very many techniques or ways to make it look good so i just wanted to see how I would do. This was also my last piece in my concentration series. Again another bird on a branch. I think colored pencils were easier to control but the acrylics were easy to blend and easier to clean up mistakes as I made many. This piece was derived from a photograph I found on the internet. I kept the colors pretty true to the actual image as well as keeping the branch and most details of the bird. I used many techniques to achieve the right textures of the body  On the head, I kind of dabbed the paint brush to achieve a more rough texture but with the belly of the bird, I used smoother brush strokes.  I tried to add different colors of orange and browns to the belly so it wasn't just one flat color. (very hard to see in the photograph) The branch was the hardest part of this painting. The colors just didn't seem to match up or work together. Trying to add highlights and lowlights ended up being very difficult. If I did this piece again, i might want to try watercolor or colored pencil

Concentration

Drawing

Reference

                    

This drawing was inspired by the reference picture that I found. I wanted to stick with the colorful bird theme. This piece, part of my concentration series, showed lots of details using the colored pencils. I wanted to make the bright colors of the hummingbird pop out so I used a more neutral color background. I tried to really show texture in this piece by using small pencil marks and making some areas really smooth and blended. I tried to keep the proportions of the bird true to the real picture but I think the wings turned out a little bigger than intended. I think the colors in this drawing turned out well but next time i think i want to use more browns and tans. I think if I did this piece again, I would add a flower or something else to add more interest in the piece. I think I could have gotten the proportions to be more accurate as well.

Donation

Bird Concentration

                               

Reference                                                                        Drawing

This piece was created on a black matte board and was drawn with colored pencils. My idea was to put a lot of emphasis on the bird and the specific colors and making them pop out with the dark background. I chose a background that was similar to the dark feathers of the bird in order to make the brighter colors pop out more. In this piece, texture was used in every little crevice. Starting with the beak, I wanted to make a smooth texture like the real bird. I added the highlights just like the reference picture in order to receive a real effect. On the body of the bird, I had to get the texture of the feathers by using very small pencil marks. The branch that the bird is sitting upon had many scratches and small marks that had to be put in the drawing to give a real effect. I tried to keep the bird proportional to the actual image although the beak turned out to be a little off. If i did this piece again, i would try it on a different colored background or even a different type of paper.  So far i like how this piece is turning out and hopefully it will get better as more is completed.