Sweet Little Red Bird

Cardinals are such beautiful birds!

I love how their vibrant red color makes them stand out in their surroundings, especially in the winter. This November, when I was pondering what type of paintings to create for winter and perhaps make into Christmas cards, a beautiful red Cardinal was an obvious choice.

First, I had to decide on a background. Should it be snow, leaves and branches, holly, or a blurred background? I opted for the latter, and worked on the bokeh painting technique that I’ve been researching. Here’s how it looked before I added the bird:

Next I traced the outline of a cardinal using parchment paper and pencil rubbing. Then I began painting, starting with blocking in the colors and adding details here and there. Here are some process pics:

Color Blocking
Adding Details

Next was to paint a branch.

The legs and feet were my biggest worry and challenge. I looked at some different photos of cardinal feet, and finally found what I needed.

And after multiple detailing additions and mistake fixes, here’s my final painting:

You can purchase prints and all sorts of products of this and all my paintings at my Fine Art America website. Just click HERE!

I hope you enjoyed this post, and I would love to hear from you! Please leave a comment below, and tell me what your favorite bird is. I think I’ll paint a hummingbird next! Until then, take care and stay safe!

Luke 12:24

24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!

14 comments

    1. Thanks so much! I love how this little guy turned out! I gave this painting to one of our grandsons for Christmas. He happily exclaimed, “I’m hanging this on my wall!” 🙂

      Like

      Reply

      1. He’s smart! 🙂 That’s so sweet. I’m glad that you shared this post at my Will Blog for Comments #19 linkup so my readers can see it as well. Hope to see you there next time also. Happy New Year!

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Your cardinal is beautiful! You do such lovely work.
    I so appreciate you sharing this with Sweet Tea & Friends this month dear friend.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much, Paula! I truly appreciate that! Painting is something that just makes me feel all kinds of emotions…it’s like an emotional workout every time I paint, but it’s thrilling and calming as well! Haha! I don’t know if that even makes sense,but it’s the best explanation I can come up with!

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment

Discover more from Paint With Joy

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading