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I do love to paint birds.   I do try to take my own reference materials most of the time.  Above is the next big bird I have decided to paint.  I took a series of photos of this Heron  (I believe it is a Tricolor) last year in Rockport, Texas.  He is so beautiful and so impressive with his wing spread, how could I pass him by. I felt this pose was more dramatic.    The photo is very light so I am having to use other reference matierial to paint him.  I would love to have had a square tile but did only have a 10" x 14" so I make it work.

#1   FIRE                     #2 FIRE

#1 FIRE-  in blocking him in, I used a very limited palette of :

 Paint colors:  true bright blue,  red grape, black, yellow (bright) , copenhagan blue.

Wing area in copenhagan which will make the wipeout area very gray blue for next fire.

Neck and back front in red grape with a small amount of black to grey or neutralize it.

Most of the shadow area (underside & darker wing shadows)  were a combination of red grape and blue in different proportions.

The beak is yellow and a black tip.

Legs in a shadow color leaning toward the blue.

Leave the bottom back or tail area wiped out (with no color) for later when I will do a wash of dark yellow.

JUST REMEMBER!

 Wipe the light edge of the feathers that separates each.  Softly!

Leave or wipe out the white feathers. (2 or 3)

Wipe out the high lite in the eye.

#2 FIRE- to darken my color value, leaving my lights alone!

I have indicated on the photo what I have used to strenghten my values  ( just the same color palette but more paint).

I did lay in the rocks on the right side for balance and have not yet decided how to design the backgound.

I added some water shapes in the cast shadow on the water in a blue.

I will fire him tonite, then maybe put in some background before I do more detail on the bird.