Painting a woodpecker, step by step .

Hi the sun is shining and it's getting warmer here in Devon, luckily my new studio is North facing so it stays relatively cool. I do hope wherever you are reading this that you're doing ok.

Today I thought I would show you step by step how to paint a woodpecker, one of my favourite birds. This is a greater spotted woodpecker native to the UK and relatively simple with just 3 main colours.

I begin by sketching it out , then I use some masking fluid with my colour shaper tool to mask out the smaller white patches on the wings

Then I begin on the eye

I start with yellow ochre being careful to leave a white dot to show the light

Then I add darker tones

Then I spray around the bird to add some splatters and splashes,

 

 and I make a big mistake I destroy all the work I've just done on the eye

 

So I spray off the eye and do it again

 

I also add the the beak with cerulean blues and darker tones like indigo , I'm using small brushes to get as much detail as I can

Now to add the colours, I am painting on damp paper, not completely dry, so the edges look feather- like

There is blue in the black to add the light, 

Juicy reds and Paynes Grey for the black

He's coming together

Then moving onto the main part of his body 

I start by adding the shadows on the 'white' wings

I go  in with my trusty cerulean blue and add Paynes Grey for the black feathers, and add a bit of salt for texture.

 

Keep going , be bold, and add the colours that you see in the bird

Finally a bit of bling, I paint 'size' on the paper , a type of glue for gold leaf and leave to dry till it's tacky. The tree is going to be a golden one

I have also added some distant branches using my 'go to' shadow colour . cobalt blue and cadmium red,

 

When everything is dry brush off the gold, and then rub off the masking fluid

Finally add any little tweaks to your painting , stand back and see what you think

 

( the gold leaf is completely optional )