Page 38 - The Decorative Painter Summer 2015

ACRYLIC
ROOSTER
Double-load a damp no. 12 filbert with a heavy amount of Lamp Black and Zinc. Blend the two colors on your pal- ette to avoid painting a striped effect. With the Zinc side of the brush facing down toward the red border, add tail feather strokes from the outside into the body and from the bottom of the bird toward the top. Create a fan shape with the strokes by overlapping some of them (see diagram).
Use the same colors and techniques to paint the lower tail feathers. Add the long front wing feathers falling over the breast using the same double-loaded brush-mix. These feathers should fade into the breast area. With the same brush and brush-mix, paint the breast area with short choppy strokes. While the paint is wet, add more Zinc to create small choppy feathers.
With the remaining paint on your brush, add choppy strokes to undercoat the rooster’s back.
Double-load the no. 12 filbert with Zinc and Indian Turquoise and add five to seven feathers at the base of the tail painting from the bottom upward.
Switch to the round or liner brush and create the feathers on the back of the rooster with Grey Sky+Lamp Black (4:1). While the paint is wet, add Lamp Black for depth. Continue adding feathers on the neck to overlap the back feathers. Use the same mix to add black to the shaded areas. Add more Grey Sky to
brighten some of the feathers, gradually adding Snow White for brighter feathers and highlights.
Paint the pupil of the eye and the top part of the beak with Lamp Black. Paint the remainder of the beak, the ring around the eye, and the feet with Golden Straw.
Paint the eye section with Tomato Red. While the paint is wet, shade with Deep Burgundy+pindot of Lamp Black. Wash this mix over the yellow ring around the eye.
Repeat the process for each red section (waddle, comb, etc.). When the red areas are dry, add darker shading if necessary by dry-brushing Lamp Black into the darkest areas.
Base the oval area near the eye with Grey Sky. While the paint is wet, tip in some Indian Turquoise on the edge closest to the eye. Darken the eye with Lamp Black, if nec- essary. Add dry-brushed Golden Straw highlights to the red areas and top of the beak.
Add dabs of Golden Straw in the comb with a dry round brush.
Outline the beak with Raw Sienna. Strengthen the col- or on the bottom and centerline of the beak by adding a pindot of Lamp Black to the Raw Sienna.
Add details and line the shaded edges and bottom of the feet with Raw Sienna. While the paint is wet, pull up lines to create a textured look.
Add bright lights of Snow White to the eye and face oval. Dry-brush Snow White on the blue feathers and tops of the toes. With a large filbert, dry-brush Snow White highlights on a few of the black tail feathers and the breast.
Touch up the neck and back feathers, if necessary.
When everything is dry, use a large brush to wash a very small amount of Indian Turquoise on some of the neck feathers.
FINISHING
Apply several coats of water-based varnish.
artist’s sketch
Wendy Watson, owner of Wendy’s
Red Door Painting Studio and Collect-
ibles, has been hooked on decorative
painting since learning the comma-
stroke in 1984. Since then she has
had the opportunity to paint and teach
wherever her family has moved. She
currently serves on the SDP Board of Directors. You may write to her at 143 U. R. Lost Rd., Blanco, TX 78606 or email wendysreddoor@earthlink.net. Visit her website at www.paintingatwendysreddoor.com.
36 The Decorative Painter
• ISSUE NO. 2, 2015
DECORATIVEPAINTERS.ORG