I’m a day late for the #BirdWhisperer this month with this pretty fella! He’s a green Turaco or Guinea Turaco, and they are indigenous to west and central Africa. They enjoy eating fruit like these papayas. Please visit the @BirdWhisperer Project to see the reference photo and all of the other art for this month! Anyone can play along! Please tag the BirdWhisperer Project page so we can see your lovely artwork, and use the #BirdWhisperer tag. We love to spread the love of birds! . . . . . . #greenturaco #guineaturaco #bird #birdstagram #instaart #artistsoninstagram #artistontumblr #artistontwitter #animalart #acrylicart #painting #fauna #nature #natureart #papaya

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Printing and filling out my COA’s while listening to podcast by @ranouttafriends (which you should check out) this morning, then later Star Wars. This project has been super fun, and I can’t wait to share the whole thing with everyone! . . . . . . . . . . #artlife #coa #certificateofauthenticity #ranouttafriends #ranouttafriendspodcast #embossing #signing #professionalshit #artistsoninstagram #artistontumblr #artistontwitter #artistonfacebook #artistonflickr #starwars #starwarsthelastjedi

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Decided to check out this #2017bestnine thing, and I was pleasantly surprised. A lot of my ink drawings, my mermaids, and even a Bird Whisperers picture made the cut! . . . . . . . #birdwhisperer #mermaids #mermaid #penandink #acrylicpainting @rabiestheraccoon #instaart #artistsoninstagram #artistontumblr #artistontwitter #artistonfacebook #fantasyart #fantasyartist #bestnine

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This Monday has definitely been pretty crappy, but getting this in the mail cheered me up! It’s even more lovely than I imagined. This was a kickstarter campaign I backed from artist, Kiri Østergaard Leonard, called Year of the Unicorn. Her artwork is so fun, and if you haven’t checked it out, you should. Kirileonard.com . . . . . . . #yearoftheunicorn #kirileonard #kiriostergaardleonard #fantasyartist #unicorn

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Sing the mantra of my people: “Must finish lace before lunch!” A #wip of a larger piece I can’t wait to be able to share! Trust me, it’s going to be awesome! . . . . . #art #workinorogress #acrylic #painting #instaart #artstagram #artistsoninstagram #artistontumblr #artistontwitter #artistonflickr #lace #black #wipwednesday

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Here’s another holiday deer sketch! This one’s singing in some holiday cheer with their tiny elf friend. It’s best if we let them take it from here. My singing voice is less like a choir of angels, and more like a bag of cats. . . . . #deercember #badapples12days #christmascarol #caroling #deer #elf #holidaycheer #christmas #deercember2017 #holiday #fauna #animalart #sing #choir #sketch #blackandwhite #graphite #pencildrawing #pencil #holidayart #waartist #artsagram #instaart #artistsoninstagram #artistontwitter #artistonfacebook #artistontumblr #artistonflickr

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A quick #deercember sketch this evening. I’ve always loved how graceful they looked. After the rough day I had today, could definitely use some grace. Lol. . . . . #deer #whitetaileddeer #buck #fauna #deercember2017 #animalart #art #pencil #drawing #sketch #artistsoninstagram #artistontumblr #artistontwitter #artistonflikr #natureart #beauty #grace #forestspirit

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Whether you’re doing the #blackfriday thing or not, supporting artists and local businesses is always a good thing! Also, this is not my artwork. Credit goes to @imzeferino #supportart #supportartists #shoplocal #supportsmallbusiness

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When it’s 3am, and you can’t sleep, so you paint. Working on these hard wood floors and wood texture. This is a small piece of a painting I’m working on for a client. I won’t be able to post the whole thing until after they do. #art #artistlife #artistsoninstagram #instaart #nighttimepainting #insomniaisawesome #thenighttimeistherighttime

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Haven’t really posted in a while. Been working on projects, and doing some not-so-glamorous organizing. Here’s a tiny sneak peek at project I’m working on for a local company. Can’t reveal the whole thing just yet, but soon.... #art #acrylic #painting #detail #artistsoninstagram #instaart #artistontumblr #artistontwitter #secret #wip

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Working on a couple tiny dragons today. Haven't posted much being sick, and getting some studio stuff in order for a bigger project coming up. #tinyart #instaart #dragon #fireandice #painting #artistontumblr #art #artistontwitter #artistsoninstagram #acrylic #fantasy

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UPDATED POST TEMPLATE: (Feel free to reword this, but this is the general idea) It's time for this month's installment of The Bird Whisperers! For those of you just tuning in, we all do a piece of art inspired by the same reference photo. This month's bird is a Bali Starling! These lovely little birds are a critically endangered species with less than 100 adults living in the wild. Also called the Bali myna, they are the faunal emblem of Bali, and are on the Indonesian 200 rupiah coin. Since these birds are mostly white, I wanted to pin it against a dramatic sunset I imagine you would see in such a beautiful place as Bali. Please visit the @BirdWhisperer Project to see the reference photo and all of the other art for this month! Anyone can play along! Please tag the BirdWhisperer Project page so we can see your lovely artwork, and use the #BirdWhisperer tag. We love to spread the love of birds! -------------------------------

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Day 25. Like me, this guy could use a nap. We both must have a case of the Mondays. Another of my 100 days of art challenge.

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Day 24. This little rascal has come to seek revenge on all who have wronged him. He may also "obtain" a few baubles along the way. I really like tricksy characters who have feathers in their caps.

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Day 23. It's been a long day and I almost didn't get a chance to post this lovely lady capybara. She belongs to the dignified red hat society.

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Day 22. This fun, little bat and myself will be enjoying some music for charity this evening. This is another of my 100 days of art pieces, and he'll be matted and added to my store. Unless, of course, he flies off to a new home beforehand.

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Day 21. Its that time of year where the days get shorter and the rains come. Like me, this little starling comes prepared for strolls in the weather. This is another in my 100 days of art challenge.

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Day 20. Today, this banded water snake and I will be enjoying some tea, rest, and the Golden Girls. Sick days are the worst.

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Day 19. Happy talk like a pirate day! Another day down for my 100 days of animal drawing. #art #instaart #penandink #slothbear #bear #pirate #talklikeapirateday #aarghmatey #eyepatch #100daysofart #animalart #animalsarepeopletoo #artistontumblr #artistontwitter #artistofinstagram

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Days 6-11 of my 100 days of drawing challenge. Been a bit busy the last few days and didn't get a chance to post them. I'm continuing my small animal portraits. These little guys will be matted to fit a 5x7" frame, and will be added to my website.

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Meet Gilfoyle, aviation expert. Another small pen & ink for today's (day 5) 100 days of drawing challenge.

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Totally forgot to post yesterday's daily drawing. This is Tess, and she enjoys leisurely strolls through the park in springtime.

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Meet Kristoff, the hooded crow. He is a gentleman and a scholar, and he is having none of your shenanigans. I'm on day 3 of the 100 days of art challenge. Each piece will be 4x6" original pen & ink, and matted to fit in a 5x7" frame. They are $15 each, and make a neat addition to your original art collection. Email me at TinyWorksOfArt19@gmail.com if you are interested.

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Jack the Yak, resident body building champion. Another little 4 x 6 pen & ink done for the 100 Days of Drawing challenge.

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This is why we can't get anything done at Home Depot. #zombiefox #productivity #halloweeniscoming #ilovehalloween

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Mayor Humperdinck will be enjoying the festivities at Auburn Art Walk next Friday. I'm doing a series of small pen & ink animal characters as part of my 100 days of art challenge. They'll all be matted and available at shows, and on my site.

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I will have prints of this guy at the Auburn Art Walk, but if you're unable to attend, prints are available on my website. http://ift.tt/2vNuf0U

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A little lava dragon to go with yesterday's arctic dragon. They're both going to be it to canvas this week. #art #dragon #instaart #artistontumblr #artistsoninstagram #artistontwitter #fantasy #fantasyart #sketch #smaugust

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Time Lapse Tuesday - Flamingo

Time Lapse Video for the March Bird Whisperer

Well hello! Today's post is a video (I promise you won't have to hear me talk). This video is only about 2 minutes long, and it shows the entire 13.5 hour long process of a black and white drawing using graphite pencils (Mitsubishi Hi-uni to be exact). I always like to do a black and white drawing before I actually begin to paint anything. It helps set up the lighting and tonal values, so I can just focus on the colors when it gets to the painting stage. This particular video is from the March installation of The Bird Whisperers! We all did a Greater Flamingo, and if you get the chance, you should check us out here. 

 The music playing in the background is "Queen of the Night" by Nova Era.

Scroll down to view the final image. 

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Here is what the final image looks like!

Check out my Instagram page for more WIP and art!

Step by Step Flamingo for Bird Whisperers

"Bird in Paradise"

Greetings and salutions!

I'm part of this monthly art group, The Bird Whisperers, and (as I'm sure you can guess) we paint birds. It's a lot of fun, and a great way to see several interpretations of the same reference photo. It's always amazing to me to see so many different styles, and everyone in the group is so positive and fun. Our bird for March, was the Greater Flamingo, and while they are fun birds, I have a hard time with the color pink. Maybe it's some weird internal trauma from being a girl, and having that color practically shoveled down my throat every time I turned around. But I digress...... 

I'm going to run through a step-by-step of my painting process for this particular piece, and I hope you find it enjoyable and helpful. A few things first. My main medium of choice is acrylics, and I usually stick to Golden and Liquitex brands as I find they make a great, high quality product. As far as brushes go I use several high quality ones from Trekell, some ones I snagged on sale at the art store, and I'll even use my fingers. I really don't put a ton of thought into the brushes....which I'm sure makes other artists cringe. My preferred painting surface is wood (either cradled or uncradled), and usually stick to 11 x 14" for the size. So, that's a quick run down of my basic materials. Let's get this show on the road.

Step 1: Prepping the Surface & Getting the Things

First things first. I always do a black and white drawing with graphite. This takes all the stress of tonal values out of the painting process, and I love the black and white versions as much as I love the color ones. I'll be posting a time lapse of the graphite process a little later this month. Once this is finished, I then scan it and print it out on paper to cover the surface of the board.
*A side note is I'm working on a newer way to transfer my B&W drawings to the board without attaching paper to the surface, and once I find a method I like, I'll post the process later. 

Once the image is on the surface, I then use a clear gesso to paint over the top. This helps seal in the paper on the surface, and you should always use gesso as a base to keep paints from scraping off. It's a necessary primer, and there are so many options available. 

For this piece, I went a little left field with the color palette. Usually, I like to keep the colors pretty toned down, but honestly the weather here in WA hasn't really felt like spring, and I desperately needed some serious color in my life. I pretty much decided to turn my palette into a rainbow. No seriously.....it looked like a skittles packet melted on my wet palette. Lisa Frank would've been proud. The colors I used were also the most unrealistic colors I think you can buy: White, Black, Pthalo Blue, Pthalo Green, Yellow Hansa Light, Cadmium Orange, Quinacridone Magenta, and Cobalt Violet. I also thin out my paints using either water or a glazing medium to make layering colors easier.

Step 2: The Frame

For this piece I tried to work as much back to front as possible. It's more convenient in the long run. The frame is a shiny black, and normally I make my own black using Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna. Making my own black gives the black a more organic feel and you can adjust the temperature of the black. Using glazes in the light areas to keep the highlights then moving to more condensed paint to keep the shadows. It takes several layers of glazing, and it's good to be patient (which I am not, so I invested in a hair dryer when it seems the paint is taking too long to dry in between layers).

The "unpainted parts of the frame are going to covered in gold leafing, so for now those will remain unpainted. 

Step 3: Water

Mixing my black and white in different variations of gray, I lay down the different shadow variations. Then, I make a wash in Pthalo Green. Once that's dry I use Pthalo Blue and Green to give the water that jeweled turquoise look. I keep adding glazed layers until I'm satisfied with the variations. Glazing colors adds more depth to your work. Once the water is dried, then I put in the light reflections on the water using glazes of a super light gray I created early, and add in the final touches of sparkle using a more condensed white.

Step 4: Purple Hibiscus and White Orchids

Next I darken the shadows of the hibiscus and orchids with the gray tones, working some of the darkest grays to almost black in deep shadows. Once I've got the dramatic shadows I'm looking for, I start the glazing process. For the white orchids it's just shade of gray all the way throughout, and then add in little spots of yellow in the center. For the hibiscus I just glaze light to dark using different tones of the Cobalt Violet. If you glaze light over dark, you can end up with milky colors, and that's not very ideal. For the stamen and pistil (the center bits), I use Hansa Yellow and White.

I did add a glaze of the Cadmium Orange over parts of the flamingo to section out the areas that will have a more orange tint to them.

Step 5: The Flamingo

The flamingo is the main focus of the painting, so it will be the main focus in the step-by-step process. I start with Cobalt Violet and dark gray to add in the shadows.

Then I do a wash in Quinacridone Magenta over the entire body of the bird, and in the pink parts of the beak.

Next, I mix the Cadmium Orange and Quinacridone Magenta until I get a nice almost salmon color for the more orange feather sections. Then, adding white, I lighten this salmon color and the magenta a little, and add in feather details and sections.

Then I lighten them some more and add in more feather highlights and lighter sections of the neck and head.

Lighten again and add more fine details. If I start to feel like I'm losing shadows I will glaze in some of the purple/gray mix.

Adding in very light versions of the salmon and magenta for the lightest feather highlights. Now I finish off the beak with grays, and the eye with some very light yellow/green mix. 

Step 6: Palm Leaf & Birds of Paradise

I start again by adding in the shadows with glazes of dark gray to both the leaf and flowers. For the leaf I painted every other "section" with straight Pthalo Green and the other "sections" with straight Yellow Light Hansa. While that was drying I added glazes of Yellow Light Hansa and Cadmium Orange to the birds of paradise. Then, went over the whole leaf with several glazes using a mixture of the green and yellow. Then I added in some touch ups with Cobalt Violet to the flowers, and some light highlights to the leaf. Finally, did a glaze of the salmon color I created for the flamingo on the hibiscus below.

Step 7: Gold Leafing and Adjustments

Now seemed like a good time to do the gold leafing on the frame. I didn't use the traditional method with the paper. Instead I used an 18kt. gold leafing pen from Krylon. It gave me the control I desired in the nooks and crannies around the skulls and what not. I also didn't like leaving the black in the pistil on the birds of paradise, so I glazed in a little Cobalt Violet.

Step 8: The Last Hibiscus Flowers

Using the same glazing techniques, I layered varying tints of Quinacridone Magenta and Cadmium Orange for the top flower.

For the second hibiscus I used various tints of Cadmium Orange and Yellow Light Hansa with some Quinacridone Magenta in the deep shadows. I also added in the gray tones of the purple orchids on the bottom.

Step 9: Purple Orchids & Final Background Color

I glazed on a few layers using various grays and some tints of Cobalt Violet into the orchids until I was satisfied with the shape and depth. Then, used a condensed Cobalt Violet for the dozens of tiny spots on each flower, and Yellow Light Hansa for the center color. I didn't want to keep the background white. It didn't look appealing to me. So, I decided a nice medium gray would look nice, and it really made the all the crazy bright colors come together nicely.

There's the finished product!

I hope you liked seeing the process, and if you have any questions or comments I would love to hear them. As I get more used to this blogging thing, I'll get better at the details and such. :) 

You can check out all of my Bird Whisperer projects as well as the work from all the other members in the official Bird Whisperer Group!

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram for WIP shots and more shenanigans!

Later taters!

Shannon