Magnolia Warbler in acrylics

I have wanted to paint this bird for ages but I  could see the bird sitting on a branch surrounded by flowers.  So when I was on holiday in Tasmania in October, I took lots and lots of photos of  the fruit trees that were in flower at the accommodation  I stayed at in Richmond.  This is painting I come up with by combining my reference photo of the flowers with the reference photo of the bird.   I used an old bristle brush to scrub in the background which worked really well.  I am really really pleased with the final painting.

The male breeding Magnolia Warbler is a lot more distinctive with a black necklace and black stripes down the sides so this one would be a female or juvenile.  They are about 11 - 13 cm in length and  weigh between 6 - 15 grams.

Magnolia Warbler measures 8 x 6 inches and is painted on Raymar's Feather Lite Smooth Portrait Cotton 1/16" panel.

Many thanks to Andy Reago and Chrissy McClarren for the bird reference photo.

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Great Tit ACEO in acrylics

I really enjoyed painting this one.   Everything just worked and I am really pleased how it turned out.

These birds are found throughout Europe, The Middle East, parts of North Africa and Central and Northern Asia.  They measure around 12.5 - 14 cm in length.


Great Tit measures 2.5 x 3.5 inches and is painted on 300gsm smooth Arches watercolour paper.

Many thanks to Frank Vassen for the reference photo.

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Ruby Crowned Kinglet ACEO in acrylics

I love this little bird's red crown. Really happy with the final painting. I did battle a bit with the colour of its feathers until I remembered that I had a tube of raw umber (I hardly ever use it) and that was the colour that I needed for its head and back feathers. 

These little birds are found throughout North American.  They measure around 9 - 11 cm and weigh between 5 - 10 grams

Ruby Crowned Kinglet measures 3.5 x 2.5 inches and is painted on  300gsm smooth Arches watercolour paper.

Many thanks to Nigel for the reference photo.

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River in the Forest in Acrylics

This  is my acrylic version of the earlier watercolour painting I did a while back.  I cropped the reference photo so that it focused more on the waterfall, opened up the river on the right hand side and  extended the background trees.  I am really pleased how the painting turned out.  The hardest part was coming up with a title - much easier when I paint an animal or bird as they name themselves.

River in the  Forest measures 6 x 6 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord Panel.

Many thanks to Robyn Lovelock for the reference photo.

Common Yellowthroat ACEO in acrylics

I love the markings of this little song bird and I am really pleased how he turned out.  These birds can be found in North America ranging from southern Canada to Central Mexico.  They measure are about 11 - 13 cm in length and weight around 9 - 10 grams. 

 

Common Yellowthroat measures 3.5 x 2.5 inches and is painted on 300gsm smooth Arches watercolour paper.

 

Many thanks to Nigel for the reference photo.

 

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Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher ACEO in acrylics

I couldn't resist painting this  little kingfisher. I love it when a painting all just seems to come together like this one did.   I am really pleased with the final result.  As the name implies these birds are found in Madagascar and measure around 13cm in length.

Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher measures 2.5 x 3.5 inches and is painted on 300gsm smooth Arches watercolour paper.

Many thanks to Frank Vassen for the reference photo.

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Spring ACEO in watercolours

I decided to paint this one in watercolours as I haven't  painted a little aceo landscape in watercolours before so thought it would  make for a nice change.  I cropped the reference photo a bit and added the flowers.  Rather pleased how it turned out.

Spring measures 2.5 x 3.5 inches and is painted on 300gsm rough Arches watercolour paper.

Many thanks to Andrew Wilson for the reference photo.

Spring Cottage in acrylics

I enjoyed painting this one.  I changed the reference photo a bit by adding the pathway to lead the eye into the painting and a added a few more flowers.  Really pleased with the final painting.

Spring Cottage measures 6 x 6 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord panel.

Many thanks to Steve Lyddon for the reference photo.

Tufted Titmouse ACEO in acrylics

I think this bird is adorable and I couldn't resist painting it.  Really pleased how the painting turned out. 
 
Tufted Titmouse is a small songbird found in North America.  They measure  around  14 - 16 cm in length and weight between 18 - 26 grams.  An interesting fact about them is that they like to line their nests with hair and will sometimes pluck hair directly from living animals.

Tufted Titmouse measures 2.5 x 3.5 inches and is painted on 300gsm smooth Arches watercolour paper.

Many thanks to Bill Thompson/USFWS for the reference photo.

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White - Browed Tit Warbler ACEO acrylics

I love the colours of this bird feathers. I don't normally use magenta but that was the colour needed for the feathers.  I had a bit of a problem with the background -  wasn't happy with it so decided to try something different - I used a old bristle brush to scrub in a mottled effect for the background - really pleased with the effect it created. 

White - Browed Tit Warblers (also known as Severtzov's Tit Warbler) are a tiny bird measuring only 8.5 - 10 cm.  They are found on the mountains of China and central Asia, and also in parts of the Himalaya.

White - Browed Tit Warbler measures 3.5 x 2.5 inches and is painted on 300gsm smooth Arches watercolour paper.

Many thanks to Ron Knight for the reference photo.

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Leopard ACEO in acrylics

I decided to paint another animal aceo.  This one gave me few problems but I kept working on until I was happy with the final painting. 

I am planning on painting a 6 x 8 inch  leopard but haven't decided yet if  I am going to use oils or acrylics - if I paint it in oils then I will have to wait for each layer to dry before working on the next one so at the moment I am leaning towards acrylics.

Leopard measures 2.5 x 3.5 inches and is painted on 300gsm smooth Arches watercolour paper.

Many thanks to ESP for the reference photo.

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Green Pastures in acrylics

This was the view from my accommodation when staying in Deloraine, Tasmania last year.  The self contained cottages were situated on the owners farm overlooking a lake.  It was very scenic and it was lovely waking up to feed the ducks and swans and watch the sheep across the lake.

Green Pastures measures 8 x 6 inches and is painted on Ampersand Gessobord Panel.

Kingfisher ACEO in acrylics

I love the colours of this birds feathers - they are so vibrant and colourful.  Really pleased how this little painting turned out. 

There are about 90 species of kingfishers. I have only paint about 3 species - I will have to see what other ones I can find to paint. 

This one is a Common Kingfisher (also known as Eurasian Kingfisher or River Kingfisher).  They about 16 - 17 cm long and weigh around 35 - 40 grams.

Kingfisher measures 2.5 x 3.5 inches and is painted on 300gsm smooth Arches watercolour paper.

Many thanks to Dave Webb for the reference photo.

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Grace's Warbler ACEO in Acrylics

I enjoyed painting this one. I have had it  printed out for a while to paint and just felt like painting it this week.  Really pleased how it turned out.

These birds breed from South Western United States to Nicaragua.  They are about 13 - 15 cm long and are mostly found in pine forests.

Grace's Warbler measures 3.5 x 2.5 inches and is painted on 300gsm smooth Arches Watercolour paper.

Many thanks to Ron Knight for the reference photo.

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Variegated Fairy Wren in Watercolours

I have had this one printed out for ages to paint.  I started painting it in acrylics a while back but was never happy with it so I never finished it - I ended up painting over it.  I finally decided that it was more suited towards a watercolour painting. and I am really pleased with the final result. 

Variegated Fairy Wren measures 8 x 6 inches and is painted on 300gsm rough Arches Watercolour paper.

Many thanks to James Niland for the reference photo.

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Summer River in Watercolours

I couldn't decide on which medium to paint this one in. So in the end I decided to paint it in watercolours  but I will also be painting a 6 x 6 inch acrylic version.  For the acrylic version, the foliage will be a darker green and I am going to open up the river on the right hand side ie the trees on the right hand side will go and I will extend the background trees   - that is the plan anyway -  will see how it goes.

Summer River measures 8 x 6 inches and is painted on 300gsm rough Arches watercolour paper.

Many thanks to Robyn Lovelock for the reference photo.

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Fall River ACEO in acrylics

I love painting these little landscapes scenes.  It is  just to find the right scene that suits the Aceo size - I will have to look for same more reference photos as they are fun to paint.

Fall River measures 3.5 x 2.5 inches and is painted on 300gsm smooth Arches watercolour paper.

Many thanks to Kathy Detweiler for the reference photo.

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