Painting An Eastern Bluebird in Acrylic(4)

Expanding Your Artistic Horizons Series

Painting Session 4
Date: 11/03/2017
Subject: Eastern Blue Bird on Bittersweet Branch
Medium: Acrylic
Colors Used In This Session:  Titanium White, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Golden Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Brown, Black, Cad Yellow, Yellow Ochre
Surface: Crescent Hot Press 200 Illustration Board, Cream Surface
Link to previous sessions Session 1, Session 2, Session 3

I finally got back to painting on the Eastern Bluebird, so I decided I would finish the painting. Session 4 actually consisted of two separate days of painting 4 to 5 hours each day. I continued to work on the bird, trying to achieve more realism in the feathers. I got to a point where I was not making progress and seemed to be painting the same areas over and over again. So I decided to stop painting on the bluebird and be satisfied with the current results. I also finished up painting the branch and tried to get more detail in the berries and the husks. I just never could seem to get the husks and berries to the level of realism I was seeking. Could not get the highlights to come out the way I wanted. Maybe inexperience with using acrylics but I do wonder if it is due to the properties of Acrylic. Also, I wondered if acrylic dulls down more when painting on illustration board? I am watering the paint down, so the painting has a smoother look, but the paint soaks in and dries almost instantly.

This is the second Acrylic painting I have done as part of Expanding My Artistic Horizons Series. I picked birds as the subject to paint for the series because they usually are not something I paint in oils. I did like painting on illustration board more than painting on 140lb cold pressed watercolor, I like the smoother look as a result of painting on board as opposed to paper. I would like to try painting with watered down acrylics on a smooth gessoed board such as those made by Ampersand. I would like to see if the paint does not dry as quickly, and you could actually blend the color.

For the most part, I am happy with the way the painting turned out. Just a few things I wish I could have done better. But as an artist, we sometimes have to accept that we continue to learn and improve and may never be fully satisfied with the results.