Owls

This morning I was greeted by our neighborhood Great Horned Owl. I only had my cell phone with me so not a great photo but enough for a memory and maybe even a reference for future works. This reminded me that I told my students from the Art of the Bird class that I would post a few photos of the Barred Owl who was fluttering around a bit before settling on it's stand.

Here are a few reference photos that you may use if you would like. I played around with some in photoshop, removing some of the background, flipping one of the images and zooming in for details. When working from photo references or rescue birds it is important to use multiple photos and to look at birds in nature. You may have a great photo of the wings but the face is out of focus, find a photo of a face in focus that is the same position to create your painting. Be aware of light sources, direction of light and reflections in the birds eyes.
Rescue birds are there for a reason, they can not survive in the wild. They may have damage to a wing, eye, talons or neurological which may cause them to sit in a unnatural position. Observe nature, you are the artist, use photos as a reference and create the painting to be your own, in your style. I try to be true to the bird or animal even trees that I am using in my work. I study them to learn their names, and parts of the country/world that they live. I look forward to seeing what you create. Enjoy!