Watercolor and Ink Painting

This painting was created as part of a series of watercolor paintings of bird close-ups. A pencil sketch is drawn out on the watercolor board first, then a watercolor wash is laid down, and finally the ink was drawn over the watercolor with a Rapidograph pen. Tanagers are small to medium-sized birds. Tanagers are often brightly colored, but some species are black and white. Birds in their first year are often duller or a different color altogether. Males are typically more brightly coloured than females. Most tanagers have short, rounded wings. The shape of the bill seems to be linked to the species’ foraging habits. When I create a painting like this, I like to use squiggles of the colors I have chosen below in the border of the painting. This is a 15w” x 8h” painting on watercolor board .  Date of painting: 1989.