FIINISHING JOEY

PAINTING THE BRANCH

There is a branch that I'd painted behind Joey's wings that actually was part of the large branch. But, as I looked at the painting, I realized it looked odd, so I painted a non-existent twig off the main branch to make it look more connected. 

To Paint the branch, I wet the entire thing, and, while wet, dropped in my gray mix and some burnt sienna. Be certain to leave some white in the branch, especially where the light would hit. Before it dried, I used a fine brush to add darker gray, with some purple, to the edges of the branch. The paint should lightly bleed into the branch, but not spread out as much as it did when you were dropping in the gray. If it appears too heavy, you can drop water into the area to create blooms on the branch.

BEGINNING A LOOSER VERSION

I started with a soft edged background of teal blue and undersea green. I tipped the paper at an angle and let the paint run together. I tried to be sure to leave soft whites here and there. 

When dry, I put the sketch of the bird over the background.

Tilting the paper again, I wet the top of the bird and loosely painted hansa yellow over the face and crest, not being overly careful to stay in lines...just trying to keep my colors clean, letting them drip in place.

I used cerulean blue and cobalt violet over the wings and tail in a wet into wet manner. The picture is still tipped at an angle on the board and turned to be diagonal. I also put in a bright orange cheek area before it got dry. 

More later.