Video: "Little Owl" demo, part I (extended, length:18:59)

Video: "Little Owl" demo, part I (extended, length:18:59)

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This is part 1 of 3 in a real-time progression of the owl painting master copy. These videos do not have audio, but you can watch the full progression from the pencil sketch through to the final painting.

Part 1 (this video): using graphite to work out the drawing and measure the proportions of the bird

Part 2: beginning to paint using light layers of walnut ink to establish the lights and darks

Part 3: use progressively more opaque walnut ink and india ink for the darks, and white gouache for the highlights. Move from the general to the more specific, adding more details as you go along.

Bird Painting Workshop (self-paced)

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Welcome to the Bird Painting Workshop!

  • Intro Video (length: 4:59 min)
  • Course Overview
  • Video: Materials list, detailed discussion (length: 38:37 min)
  • Bird Painting Materials List
  • Frequently Asked Questions

Resources and References

  • Bird Anatomy folder
  • Bird Photo Reference Library
  • Contemporary Birds Paintings
  • Historical Bird Paintings

Module 1

  • What you'll learn:

Day 1

Delayed 1 day

  • Inspiration: Birds in Ancient Egyptian Art
  • Video: a bird in 3 lines (length: 2:59 min)
  • Exercise: draw an imaginary bird

Day 2

Delayed 2 days

  • Inspiration: Leonardo Da Vinci's "Codex on the Flight of Birds"
  • Video: Bird Anatomy (length: 11:33)
  • Exercise: study bird anatomy

Day 3

Delayed 3 days

  • Inspiration: Bird drawings by Parmigianino
  • Exercise: graphite thumbnail studies

Day 4

Delayed 4 days

  • Inspiration: bird painting of the Medici Court
  • Exercise: thumbnail studies using ink

Day 5

Delayed 5 days

  • Inspiration: bird paintings of the Song Dynasty
  • Exercise: tonal bird studies

Day 6

Delayed 6 days

  • Inspiration: bird paintings by Pierre Eskrich
  • Exercise: a monochromatic study on toned paper

Module 2

Delayed 7 days

  • What you'll learn:
  • Video: Birds Through the Ages (length: 55:44 min)
  • Video: Introduction to the dry brush technique (5:19)

Day 7

Delayed 7 days

  • Inspiration: "The Concourse of the Birds" by Habiballah of Sava
  • Exercise: quick studies from life

Day 8

Delayed 8 days

  • 🎨 Inspiration: Albrecht Durer's Birds
  • 🦉 Exercise: begin your master copy
  • Video: "Little Owl" demo (length: 14:20)
  • Video: "Little Owl" demo, part I (extended, length:18:59)

Day 9

Delayed 9 days

  • Inspiration: "The Goldfinch" by Carel Fabritius
  • Exercise: build your lights and shadows
  • Video: "Little Owl" demo, part II (extended, length: 15:11)

Day 10

Delayed 10 days

  • Inspiration: the birds of Hieronymous Bosch
  • What to do today: finish your master copy
  • "Little Owl" demo, part III (extended, length: 01:33:04)

Day 11

Delayed 11 days

  • Inspirartion: bird paintings by John Ruskin
  • Exercise: begin a feather painting
  • Video: Feather Painting Demo
  • Video: Feather demo, part I (extended, length: 11:50)

Day 12

Delayed 12 days

  • Inspiration: bird paintings by Eliza Turck
  • Exercise: add color to your feather
  • Video: Feather demo, part II (extended, length: 1:47:03)

Day 13

Delayed 13 days

  • Inspiration: bird paintings by Kitagawa Utamaro
  • Exercise: take what you've learned for an adventure!

Module 3

Delayed 14 days

  • What you'll learn:
  • Video lecture: Birds in Contemporary Art (length: 21:40)
  • Video: Introduction to Color Theory (length: 7:58)

Day 14

Delayed 14 days

  • Inspiration: bird drawings by Henry Emerson Tuttle
  • Video: Watercolor demo: mixed media technique (length: 12:46 min)
  • Exercise: an underdrawing for your next painting.
  • Video: Mixed media demo, part I (extended, length: 52:14 min)

Day 15

Delayed 15 days

  • Inspiration: "Birds of America" by John James Audubon
  • Exercise: seal your drawing with ink
  • Video: Mixed Media Demo, part II (extended, length: 09:01min)

Day 16

Delayed 16 days

  • Inspiration: bird paintings by Elizabeth Gould
  • Exercise: focus on lights and shadows
  • Mixed Media Demo, part III (extended, 17:00 min)

Day 17

Delayed 17 days

  • Inspiration: bird paintings by Martin Johnson Heade
  • Exercise: add details to your mixed media bird painting
  • Video: Mixed Media Demo, part IV (extended, length: 30.06 min)
  • If you're switching to oil paint: prepare your support
  • Video: Preparing a toned surface for oil painting (length: 1:33)

Day 18

Delayed 18 days

  • Inspiration: bird prints by Janet Turck
  • Exercise: glazing with watercolor
  • Video: Mixed Media Demo, part V (extended, length: 12:33 min)
  • Video: Dead Coloring Demo, part I (length: 5:48) -oil painting
  • Exercise (oil) - establish your drawing
  • Video: Dead Coloring Demo, part I (extended, length: 10:50min), oil painting

Day 19

Delayed 19 days

  • Inspiration: bird paintings by Walton Ford
  • Exercise (watercolor): continue glazing
  • Video: Mixed Media Demo, part VI (extended, length: 19:49 min)
  • Exercise (oil): - establish your dead coloring
  • Video: Dead Coloring Demo, part II (extended, length: 15:42 min), oil painting

Day 20

Delayed 20 days

  • Inspiration: bird paintings by Sarah Margaret Gibson
  • Exercise (watercolor): - work on your edges
  • Video: Mixed media technique demo, part VII (extended, length: 14:49min)
  • Video: Dead coloring demo, part II (length: 19:08), oil painting
  • Exercise (oil): paint on top of your dead coloring layer
  • Video: Dead Coloring Demo, part III (extended, length: 39:44 min), oil painting

Day 21

Delayed 21 days

  • Inspiration: bird paintings by Wade Schuman
  • Exercise (watercolor): finish your mixed media bird
  • Video: Mixed media technique demo, part VIII (extended, length: 14:35 min)
  • Exercise (oil): background and edges
  • Video: Dead Coloring Demo, part IV (extended, length: 31:54 min), oil painting

Module 4

Delayed 21 days

  • What you'll learn:
  • Video: Glazing

Day 22

Delayed 22 days

  • Inspiration: bird paintings by Greg Oakley
  • Gouache on Vellum Demo
  • Exercise (watercolor): begin your bird on vellum
  • Video: painting on vellum demo, part I (extended, length: 32:50 min)
  • Exercise (oil painting): glaze and add detail
  • Video: Dead Coloring Demo, part V (extended, length: 26:37)

Day 23

Delayed 23 days

  • Inspiration: bird paintings by Vanessa Foley
  • Exercise: water media - establish local color
  • Video: painting on vellum demo, part I (extended, length: 14:34 min)
  • Oil painting: Venetian painting technique, part I (length: 7:09)
  • Exercise (oil) - begin a bird using the Venetian painting technique
  • Video: Venetian painting technique, part I (extended, length: 32:26 min), oil painting

Day 24

Delayed 24 days

  • Inspiration: bird paintings by Laura Kennedy
  • Exercise (watercolor): continue your vellum painting
  • Video: painting on vellum demo, part III (extended, length: 21:27 min)
  • Exercise (oil): paint into your lights
  • Video: Venetian painting technique, part II (extended, length: 10:21 min), oil painting

Day 25

Delayed 25 days

  • Inspiration: bird drawings by Tyler Vouros
  • Exercise (watercolor): continue your vellum painting
  • Video: painting on vellum demo, part IV (extended, length: 47:58 min)
  • Exercise (oil): work on your lights and midtones
  • Video: Venetian painting technique, part III (extended, length: 12:27 min), oil painting

Day 26

Delayed 26 days

  • Inspiration: bird paintings by Shae Warnick
  • Exercise (watercolor): glazing and hatching with dry brush
  • Video: painting on vellum demo, part V (extended, length: 1:32:10 min)
  • Venetian Painting Technique, Continued (Falcon)
  • Exercise (oil)- work on your bird's head
  • Video: Venetian painting technique, part IV (extended, length: 12:09 min), oil painting

Day 27

Delayed 27 days

  • Inspiration: bird paintings by Vasilisa Romanenko
  • Exercise (watercolor): work on the details
  • Video: painting on vellum demo, part VI (extended, length: 31:14 min)
  • Exercise (oil painting)- begin your details
  • Video: Venetian painting technique, part V (extended, length: 11:33 min), oil painting

Day 28

Delayed 28 days

  • Inspiration: bird paintings by Lindsay Kustuch
  • Exercise (watercolor) - add opaque highlights
  • Video: painting on vellum demo, part VII (extended, length: 24:21 min)
  • Exercise (oil painting) - glaze
  • Video: Venetian painting technique, part VI (extended, length: 23:57 min), oil painting

Day 29

Delayed 29 days

  • Inspiration: bird paper sculptures by Nayan Shrimali and Venus Vaishali
  • Exercise: refine your edges and focus on details
  • Video: painting on vellum, part I (extended, length: 21:35 min)
  • Video: Venetian painting technique, part IV (extended, length: 30.24 min), oil painting

Day 30

Delayed 30 days

  • Inspiration :"Bird by Bird" by Dina Brodsky
  • Exercise: celebrate!

Thank You!

  • Farewell
  • Stay in touch!
  • Bird Painting Workshop Private Group