Feather Illustration In Watercolour – NEW PATREON PAINTING LESSON
A few months ago I created an illustration in watercolour of a Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo, (below) and man did I just love that challenge, and painting! It was such a fabulous painting subject in fact, I immediately wanted to not only share the painting with you guys on my social media, but to further the subject in an online painting tutorial for you to join in and learn from too. Its a bird painting lesson with a twist, exploring a single, gorgeous feather as our subject.
(Original sold)
With the first being a handful to manage, I wondered how I could make the subject more manageable for my students, and how do I get my hands on just the right feather for the task… I wondered. But quite incredibly, no sooner had I dreamed it, a gorgeous, real life Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo tail feather of the most absolutely perfect complexity came to my hands like magic, and I knew JUST what to do with it!
I thanked the Gods then set about filming and photographing it thoroughly in preparation to create just the right painting lesson for you straight away. Nope, I wasted no time bringing that to life and in fact, I couldnt wait! Now Ive made it happen, I love it, and I am so pleased to be offering this wonderful painting tutorial to you as Augusts’ Patreon Painting Lesson – live on the 8th!
Painting Tutorial Feather Subject
I always say, ‘dont be put off by the complexity of a subject, find an example within a subject that meets your ability’ and thats certainly the case here. Complexity is endless, both in your selection of a subject, and the extent you wish to take it in the rendering, but it can also be simplified. Start smart by selecting the right example for you, then work on improving your skills with every stroke. With this, your ability grows whilst still being able to succeed in challenging topics. I must say, if you want, or need to improve your skills on the finer levels… this is the painting lesson to try your hand at.
Its SUCH a beautiful subject, but the lessons are very real and relevant, all about fine lines and brush control. These are such critical aspects of realistic, refined illustration. In this painting tutorial, we work with delicious, vibrant colour, creating intricate texture with simple colour use, great technique and layering. Its a fantastic painting lesson to explore and will teach you plenty, thats for sure! Can you do it…? You sure can!
Yep, in this lesson I walk you right through the process of creating this stunning feather illustration in watercolour, from start to completion. Its a really excellent subject because there is a lot of scope within it to move in if youre beginning. Our palette is simple yet beautiful, our shapes and areas easy to manage and the overall complexity allows you to put a lot of anxieties aside to focus on technique. Its repetition allows you to hone your balance, steadiness and techniques perfectly, trying to improve with every step and stage. What we practice in the orange we apply to in the blacks, giving you variations on a repeating theme to solidify the principles of how I work, and to find a really meditative state in the process.
This is a painting exercise to fall right in to, let go of everything else and enjoy the unfolding, emerging and coming to life of this painting, one beautiful stroke stroke at a time. I am definitely excited about this feather illustration course and I am so looking forward to seeing what you create from it!
You can take a look at our painting lesson offerings and sneak peeks to pick and choose what appeals to you most. All being something new to the table, but as the months pass by, more and more options will become available to you. I look forward to seeing you in our creative community and to working with you more.
Dont forget, I also have a range of online painting courses offered on Udemy. With over 20,500 students joining me there and being in the top 4% of over 100,000 course options available there, you can see theres plenty to learn!