‘Australian Ringneck Parrot and Eucalyptus caesia’ – Watercolour – 10x14in – SOLD
‘Australian Ringneck Parrot and Eucalyptus caesia‘ brings two more incredibly beautiful Australian painting subjects together in watercolour to create this new natural science illustration study. The focus behind this piece was to create something beautiful, full of uplifting colour, something that makes you smile and feel joyful to look at. As a result, I selected these two really magical elements to capture because they seem to encapsulate many of these the things I am looking for. So many aspects of nature inspires me, texture, colour, magic and wonder and this one is jam packed with all of it! I am really looking forward to bringing this new story to life and hope youll enjoy the process with me.
With the composition decided, i stepped into this painting in graphite to complete the first step of the drawing. With lots of this painting relying on soft textures and gentle, non defined areas, the drawing takes a little softening in its approach and in many areas it is simply suggestive. The rendering will rely heavily on my ability to manage the medium and to truly be the ‘story teller’ I always refer to in my teachings. So here we go, starting this adventure off with the drawing. From this image you get a sense of direction for the overall illustration.
The first step into the Ringneck Parrot rendering this time, as with many times, is the eye, so bright and sweet. Its a really challenging subject as there are a lot of changing details within this tiny, textural area to create, but his beautiful little face has emerged nicely, setting the stage and mood for the entire painting. Blue, mauve, purple, yellow, orange, browns and blacks… its ALL in this one!
The head of this parrot isnt to only challenging thing within it… the entire parrot is difficult, of course! After some time spent lost in the studio however, he has taken shape and seems he could almost fly off the page in real life. Here I must acknowledge my friend, photographer Peter Caddy for the references behind the parrot. This version was created from several points of reference to create an entirely new bird in the pose I wanted, but all origins stem from his lens so thank you once more Peter 🙏🏻
Now comes the Eucalyptus caesia surroundings. This shot is just a quick one from my phone on the run, as many are, but it shows a section of the flowering gum blossom in a little more detail, the leaf resting behind. The client was offered 3 different eucalyptus options to go with the parrot, but she settled on this spectacular option for its beauty, femininity and relevance to where she lives. We were after colour, things that make you feel warm, happy and nourished and although it took a few days to settle on just one option, I think this was a perfect choice.
Eucalyptus… and birds for that matter, are subjects in natural history, natural science and botanical illustration genres you can agonise over for literally eternity. They are complex in form, and to render in the watercolour medium but my goodness are they wonderful! The enormous flowers, gum blossoms, hang like dreamy dancers skirts, pollen punctuating each stamen so gracefully, tumbling down and around the parrot like a dream state. The colour is a romance in itself so was a very worthy feature in this painting. The addition of just a few leaves was all it needed to enhance this story, bringing this illustration to a close, the capture of two more absolutely glorious Australian subjects… A pair to the ‘Rosella and Flowering Gum‘, these two are set to fly away to their new home as we speak. I hope you enjoyed the unfolding of them both. I sure did!
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‘Australian Ringneck Parrot and Eucalyptus caesia’ – Watercolour – 10x14in – SOLD
Let me know if you have any enquiries on this fantastic series of natural history illustrations. All to date are sold, but get in touch and we can secure something just right for you 🙏🏻
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