Are you feeling frustrated with acrylic paints? You’re not alone. This quick drying medium is one that I have spent the last decade practicing with a focus on nature.

This class is for the intermediate painter with a step-by-step look at the techniques that will help you achieve a realistic looking bird. Making your own subject and colour choices is encouraged, but if you have less experience, then feel free to use the provided image (look for the attached file).

As you build confidence in colour blending and brush techniques by participating in this lesson, you will find greater joy in painting with acrylics.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Reference image - use the one provided or find one from your own photography or websites such as Pexels

Sketchbook or scrap paper
Drawing tool - pencil or pen
8”x10” or 11”x14” Canvas with painted background - see my class “Blurry Backgrounds with Acrylic Paint” or just paint a solid background
Chalk pastel or pencil crayon - this will be used for sketching the bird onto the background. Use a colour that can be seen, but will blend in with the background (ie. light grey on a blue background).

Acrylic paint - colours will depend on the image you choose. I’ll show you the colours and brands that I will be using.
Paint brushes - though this too depends on your subject, a medium-small round tip, a medium-small angled brush, a medium-small square/flat brush and a tiny round tip or line brush will work for most bird paintings.
Water - I like using two glass jars with just an inch of water in each. Designate one as dirty water and the other as clean. That just means when you’re changing colours you’ll want to dip your brush in the dirty water first and then in the clean water to make sure it is in fact clean.
Cloth/rag - used for dab off excess moisture from your brush.
Paint palette - I like to use a wooden handheld style, but experiment with different surfaces to find what you’d like.

We’ll begin with a look at colour theory and becoming acquainted with brushes. Understanding how to mix colours and what your brushes are capable of are crucial steps in whatever style of painting you want to pursue.

Brigitte Mezzetta

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