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This is an Umbrella bird. I think you can guess why he was named as he was. The part of him that is on his chest is not a wing, it is part of the bird. This is not a bird of North America, but of the Rain Forests. I didn't save the very first wash, because again, some pictures dry faster than others. I forget the picture part and just keep working. So this is a few washes later. I used whatever colors were on my palette, because it didn't really matter. I was painting over all of them, and making very thin washes. You will see why in the next picture, which is the last one.
Here is the finished Umbrella Bird. Can you tell why I used many colors under the final coat of paint. It helps the bird come alive with color. If I hadn't done that, he would be a very flat looking black. But I didn't use one bit of black for any of his feathers. I think this is a better approach, for animals of any species, but especially for birds. Their feathers can be very irridescent.
What a beautiful bird! This is a book for your Granddaughter, correct? Is there a theme to the book or is it just beautiful animals found on our planet?
Nice work!
Yes Tiffany, this is an alphabet book for Carrie, age 4. I still have to put the letter on each page, and the name of the animal. AND lastly, I will add a page of interesting facts about each animal. The only theme is animals. I've made two others, for my six year old Granddaughter, Carrie's sister, and their cousin Jack, now 5, my daughter's oldest. I have two more Granddaughters, Jack's baby sister who is just one, and Carrie and Kayla's baby sister, 5 months. And right now, I don't want to think of one more book, let alone two. So I will be taking a much needed break, and think about what I want to do for the two youngest. The whole thing started out to be alphabet cards, but the clerk at Kinko's asked me how I wanted them bound. Look what happened!
And thank you for the compliment.