Sea Gull

Alas, that ever present bird has made a comeback on Dabfly Arts.  Living by the water, I see them every day.  Some days they look like they are having fun floating on gentle ocean breezes, others they look like they are hating life trying to stay warm in a cold winter wind.  This guy falls into the former category.  He is definitely loving life.   Nice warm climate, a nice dock to stand on.

Birds are fun to paint.  I don't know why I like them so much.  I guess its because each one has its own personality.  Every bird I paint gets its own story.  This one is definitely looking at something on the dock.  Maybe a tasty bit of food has blown onto the wood, he has just seen it, and it about to go over and have a snack.

Whatever his real story, he was a blast to paint.  I hope you enjoy it.  If you want to see how I did it, I have, as has become my custom, made a video of it.  You can see it below.  Thanks for the read, and the view if you have the inclination.

Oriole

I must be on some kind of bird painting kick.  Here, I've painted an Oriole.  He is sitting on what appears to be a broken branch.

This bird was really fun to paint.  The vibrant orange color is made from a couple of different reds, and a couple of different yellows.  I did use a pre-mixed grey (payne's grey) but I augmented it myself.  I don't usually use the grey right out of the tube.  It's mot a bad color, just a little bit flat.

I've given the bird just a few indications of feathers.  Just enough to enhance the shape of the bird.

He sits on a  stick that has obviously seen better days.  Its got some pitting and dents in it.

The background was originally going to be a bit more mottled, but I think I forgot to mix another color into it.  As it is, the colors are phthalo blue and ultramarine blue.  The green parts are windsor green and viridian.  The blue behind the orange really makes this bird pop off the page.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the painting and the quick read.  If you want to see how I painted it, check out the following video.

Thank you.