Here is a quick study of Cinnamon Teals. As I painted the watercolor on a post-card size sheet of paper, my fellow painters pointed out how important the relationships of head size to tail length was...they "knew" the watercolor was wrong! You know it too, so keep adjusting proportions till it reads right! Just keep going and you will get it.

Watercolors are wonderful because with a few strokes of complimentary colors, juxtaposed on white paper, the medium makes a compelling painting. The birds flit through winter with confidence and painters that show confidence are appreciated also. It makes us want to take a new deep breath and look at winter again.

Why does a painting express so much? What does an artist do to make it so expressive? Questions all artist's wish they had a concrete answer for. The one answer I live by is having something in front of or behind all things: breaking a plane in art terms. Would this bird be so connected to us if the branch in front were removed? Nature is nothing if not about connections. By showing the bird in the tree we remove the angst of isolating the bird. So we see it as simply "there." Breaking a plane is the simplification that works every time!

This quick watercolor of a Harris' Hawk shows the energy of the real hawk. Painter's that want to show what it "looks like" often concentrate too much on the surface and not the internal qualities of their images. Brushstrokes that are loose and expressive help determine the feel of a watercolor. Even original brushstrokes under the final brushstrokes help the viewer "see" the animal and allows the viewer to bring what they know to an image. It is the reason we connect to art!

This fledgling I assume is a ruby-throat because I live in Vermont. I find the energy of the bird as interesting as the coloring and brushstrokes can help explain motion.
What is the essence of the bird for you? Their shape can be very contorted when they reach up to the bird feeder, but this pose is restful.
Painting birds is a challenge!

Birds for years, have interrupted my view of a distant landscape. I came to birding because these fabulous creatures were always part of the landscape. I would stop my landscape painting to do a quick portrait of the bird in my view.
My own paintings taught me how birds connect the landscape, and it is how I see and paint the birds. They are the motion stirring the land and flitting through branches and they compel me to see. Learn how you see nature by looking at a series of your paintings which shows you what is important!

"Western Bluebird" watercolor 4" x 6" $85

Western Bluebirds landed on the barbed wire in Big Horn, WY last week and surprised me while I oil painted the Big Horn Mountains. This time I had my watercolors and quickly made a sketch.
Often the bird is only half visible and hidden by leaves, branches or rocks.
This was so in the open, with his mate close by. what a treat especially because they are less common every year. Feral Cats are a big problem for birds! I say keep cats indoors, so we can balance nature.