Crow Painting (step-by-step)

Crow Painting (step-by-step)

I'm starting a new body of work , and I'm just wrapping up the test paintings for how they will look.
For the tests, I just use whatever is around the studio, and I had three 8"x10" cheap-o canvases laying around that I figured would suffice for this.
Please enjoy this little post as I show you the steps I went through to create these pieces!

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Step 1:

Using a composition technique (I picked this up from reading Andrew Loomis' book Creative Illustration ) , I layout my canvas and paint in the areas with varying shades of blue acrylic paint and tone it down a bit with a warmer neutral. (I know my painting will be constrained in a gamut of mainly warm colors with hits of turquoise/blue, so I choose blue for an underpainting to make my warms vibrate a bit)

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Step 2:

Using a photo reference, I begin the graphite and charcoal layout of the crow, trying to constrain the image within the composition lines I created earlier. I also add in a bit of white outline and highlights using white acrylic paint.

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Step 3:

Using a pencil, I layout geological and landscape shapes and forms that suit the feeling I am trying to convey. (I chose images from Canyon Lands National Park area in Utah that I had already acquired using Google Earth and the awesome 3D mode the program offers). I begin to lay in layers of translucent and semi-opaque acrylics utilizing my pre-set gamut of colors over these lines.

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Step 4:

Returning to the crow, I use ink and pen to pull out more detail and add contrast and emphasis to the subject matter. Layers of detail paint are added, splashes of color, and linear/graphic elements that all add to the overall emotion I am trying to achieve.

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Step 5: (final image before framing)

After the details are complete, I varnish the paintings using a simple gloss acrylic medium/varnish.
After they are dry, I will then frame and post them for sale at my website.

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Thank you for reading this all the way through!!! Steemit is an awesome place for artists to be able to share their work and get support!
email: [email protected]
site: http://www.theartofjoshuadavis.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theartofjoshuadavis
IG: @jdavisarts
Twitter: @jdavis1278