Artists United: Robin Step by Step Stage 2

Robin 

Step by Step Stage 2

Adding the red chest and wing, plus a branch to sit on

Okay I will admit that the eye was the easy bit but for some of you far too easy and possibly a little bit boring! So now  we are going to have some originality and excitement about adding colour to the robin.

Before you have a heart attack or imagine the next stage is really difficult, read what I am about to say!

Before you touch the paper with your next brushstroke I want you to close your eyes and imagine you are looking at a real robin. On a cold winter day. The feathers could be fluffed up against the cold and if you notice that chest isn't really red in colour is it? It is more of an orange. But  for some reason as a child I always called them robin redbreasts!

Anyway lets move on and add more colour now.

 Working away  from a starting point!

Painting the red section. The eye was your starting point . Now  slowly  work around the eye with Alizarin Crimson and drop a touch of cadmium Orange into the new wet section to allow the pigments  to merge and give you a softer red/ornage appearance. Work VERY slowly at first around the eye then bring this soft red colour  downwards  to form the chest section.

TIP: Keep the colour very soft as the subject is soft and could fly away.

Painting the head and wing. Now use a soft brown shade and add a hint of colour the top of the head . Next, hint at one wing too in the same colour. 

 If you bleed the edegs with a damp burhs loaded with clean water you will get a beautiful looseness  that creates a feeling of movement and life in your results.

I have added a touch of cerulean blue  at the under belly area 

Using a deeper shade of the same brown I added a twig for my robin to sit on. I allowed colour  to run from the body to the twig to form one leg!

Use your imagination on where to place your twig or branch so that your painting is original!

This is supposed to be fun so please smile while you are painting!