Classical Oil Painting for Naturalist Bird Portraiture

Classical Oil Painting for Naturalist Bird Portraiture

“Congratulations! We have now reached the end of the course. Thank you so much for joining me! Your final project for this course is to create your own dynamic oil portrait of a bird, utilising the sight-size technique. You will build up your painting in the stages described, this way achieving a vividly life-like painting. Practising to Draw and Choosing a Bird Before actually starting to paint, you should take some time to learn about the fundamentals of drawing. Follow the steps from the second unit to prepare a first drawing of a bird. This can be the bird that you're later going to paint in oil, but it doesn't have to be―you can also do a quick search on the internet or even take your own picture of a bird.

Then it's time to choose the bird that is going to be the subject of your artwork. You can either invest in a taxidermied bird model or use one of my reference images from the second unit. Monochromatic Underpainting The very first step is to complete your monochromatic underpainting; once your panel has had time to dry, follow the stages to complete an underpainting of a bird of your choice. Use a single mixture of raw umber mixed with ivory black for the majority of the underpainting, reserving the white only to add some highlights at the end. Use your drawing as a map while you block in the colours. Once this is done, be sure to allow your underpainting to dry thoroughly before moving on to the next stage. This usually takes around ten hours, so it’s best to set aside two days to complete the final project as a whole. Mixing the Colours and Organising the Palette The next step is to mix your colours and organise your palette. Having already selected the pigments, you may now lay them out at the top of your palette. Next, attempt to mix a series of accurate colour-value scales for all the colours in both the bird and the background. This will get you all ready to begin the process of painting! Painting Session Now it is time to complete your sight-size bird portrait in a single session and in alla prima style. Block in the colours of the bird working from dark to light and from thin to thick with your paint. Remember to simplify the forms of the bird, not getting distracted by the feather pattern. In the end, it is time to add selective details to bring the painting to life. This doesn't have to be every detail that you see; rather, consider which details will add to the painting as a whole. Be sure to set aside a good amount of time for the last stage of the painting process, as it’s important to complete it in a single session so that you can work the edges wet-into-wet and better judge the painting as a whole. Once you're done, don't hesitate to share your finished artwork in the forum. I can't wait to see what you created! I will endeavour to get back to you with feedback before long―please just remember that it may take me a bit of time. Your fellow students will also be able to give you insights and feedback, which will certainly be of help. In the meantime, you can also upload your painting to social media using the hashtag #SarahMargaretGibsonDomestika. It has been such a pleasure to be able to share my knowledge and experience with you. I really hope this is the start of a wonderful journey into oil painting for you! See you soon!”

Partial transcription of the video

“Final Project Well, we've reached the end of the course now, and you've achieved so much. Congratulations. Before saying goodbye, let's go over everything we've done together. After going over all of the materials that you'd need, we went over the basics of sight-size technique. This then allowed us to get to grips with the fundamentals of drawing, covering construct, the light and shadow pattern, values, modeling, and rendering. Remember to focus on each stage with its own individual priorities. Don't move on to the next stage until you feel you've fully understood the previous stage. Brea...”

This transcript is automatically generated, so it may contain mistakes.

Course summary for: Classical Oil Painting for Naturalist Bird Portraiture

• Level: Beginner
• 99% positive reviews (272)
• 9306 students
• 4 units
• 23 lessons (4h 49m)
• 4 downloads

• Category

  Illustration

• Areas

  Fine Arts, Naturalistic Illustration, Oil Painting, Painting