Paint five different birds.

This is a beginner-friendly class with lots of tips, all recorded in real time.

This course is designed so that you get multiple opportunities to practice the core techniques: wet on wet and lifting.

It is essential to finish every lesson on painting bird feathers using the wet-on-wet technique, as it helps in improving your skills.

The key to mastering the techniques is to get a feel of it in your hand and determine the right amount of water to use on your brush and with the paint. It's important to keep in mind that there are no shortcuts to watercolor painting. Consistent practice is the key to improving your skills.

Please view the accompanying full guide in the Project Resource below.

Project 1

For our first project, we're going to keep things simple. We'll be painting a bird using only one color of your choice.

This will allow you to concentrate on creating a good contrast in your painting by working with light and shadows. You'll get to practice lifting colors, focusing on highlights, and creating softness in the feathers.

Project 2

You will be painting the head and chest of another bird this time, and the sketch should be slightly enlarged to give you more space to practice painting the bird's eye and beak. We will use a simplified color palette and focus on creating dimension through the use of light and shadows.

Project 3

For this project, you will be painting an entire bird which includes its toes and a tree stump. You will be using a simple color palette and practicing the same techniques, wet on wet and lifting. To add softness to the feathers, you will wet a portion of the background while wetting the bird.

Project 4

For this project, you will be painting a Red Cardinal Bird.

To achieve the best results, you will need to start by applying a yellow (primary color) undertone. This will help to highlight the shade of red (primary color) that you will be using. To create shadows on the bird's feathers, you will need to add another primary color, blue.

Keep in mind that the color palette for this project is simplified.

While painting, you should also wet some parts of the background to create a soft transition between the bird's feathers and the background. This will help to avoid hard edges, which should only be present in some areas around the bird.

Project 5

In this project, you will paint a Blue Tit Bird. You will wet the bird and part of the background to create smooth layers and soft feathers. Add a branch and paint it with blue undertones.

Project 6

For your final project, you will participate in a painting challenge where you will create a bird painting entirely on your own. The painting challenge will allow you to put into practice all of the techniques you have learned throughout the course.

After completing your bird painting, I encourage you to share it with our community. This will give you the opportunity to receive valuable feedback and connect with other members.

I am eagerly looking forward to seeing your finished work!

Art Materials for the entire course.

Watercolor Paper.

I recommend using 100% cotton watercolor paper, Cold Pressed, 140lb. A paper that is good for layering. Please make sure that the Cold Pressed you are using has a texture. Examples: Arches.

Watercolors

You don’t need to use the same brand of paints I use (Holbein); you can use the colors you already have.

Suggested colors:

Imidazolone yellow (primary yellow)
Raw sienna (or yellow ochre)
Isoindolinone yellow deep (rich transparent yellow)
Cobalt blue (or cobalt blue hue, or ultramarine light
Phthalo blue red shade (primary blue)
Indigo (darkest blue), you can use this color for the monochrome painting
Burnt sienna (reddish brown)
Vandyke brown (ashy brown, sepia is ok too)
Quinacridone red (cooler red)
Pyrrole red (primary red)

Brushes:

Flat 1”- 2", or size 20 or 24, to cover a larger area when wetting the paper and when applying the first wash ( I am using da Vinci's Casaneo, Flat 20-24 )
Round 8 - 12, a medium-sized stiffer brush or a medium-sized softer brush for color blending. You can also use a quill brush, for example, size 2 ( I will be using a long quill size 2, “Songbird,” and a round brush size 8, “Golden 1” by Maria Raczynska )
A rigger size 2 or a liner brush to lift the colors ( I will be using a rigger size 2 brush, “Songbird” by Maria Raczynska )
Round 2 or 3, a smaller medium stiff brush for details and lifting ( I will be using a round 2,3 “Songbird-Details” by Maria Raczynska )

Other materials:

A small bath towel to wipe your brush on (essential)
A paper towel for additional lifting, if necessary
Three small jars with clean water for the easiness of dipping a brush or cleaning your brush
A plastic palette, or if you don’t have one, a dinner plate
A good light with a daylight bulb. Preferably two lamps on your desk, plus a headlight.

Catherine MacKenzie

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