BALD EAGLE, PART 1

Now that the previous eagle study is out of the way, I feel a little more confident to start a larger piece. I'll be taking a lot more time with this one as the first study was really just a way to get back into doing this kind of thing. I have found that I sometimes need to do it this way especially if I haven't painted a watercolor study for some time. As usual I started with a careful drawing all the while trying to be as accurate as possible. I wanted something with the bird looking slightly away this time. Working on un-stretched hot-pressed Arches watercolor paper, I laid in a warmish grey wash over the whole sheet then when it was dry started on the birds eye and bill. A warmer brown was then washed over the top of the head and breast. Slowly building up a series of thin washes around the ere and bill brought me to the stage you see above. The painting still has a long way to go but so far, I'm happy with the start.