I am back in class with Ian de Hoog painting birds, specifically Shore Birds. I have found that Ian’s unrelenting focus in his bird painting process – on the bird head and specifically the birds ‘eye’ makes this class a wonderful learning platform for watercolor techniques.
- Play with colors before you start – look for balance in your choices – warm/cool – create a palette
- Detail and color intensity guide the viewers eye – to the bird’s head in these paintings
- Less important areas hold less detail and color value – including washes, glazing and water droplets for texture
- The focus areas are worked to perfection – for birds – this includes the shape of the head, the eyes and beak
Here are my results from our first two classes
Colors include Daniel Smith Neutral Tint, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Sepia
Colors include Daniel Smith Joe Z Cool Black, Yellow Ochre
You can find Ian de Hoog on Instagram and he typically has classes at Winslow Art Center
Pages from my sketching notebook (7.5″ Square Stillman & Birn Zeta series):
Own Your Encore 