Coloured pencil and smooth pastels on paper.
Any thoughts appreciated 
6 Likes
I like it, looks very nice. what kid of bird is it?
Hi Jim,
it is a Kookaburra (Australian bird).
J
1 Like
Ah, do we love this jolly laughing bird here in Australia! Nice work Janie! Nice background and foliage, and you have got him sitting very comfortably on that branch. The only thing I would like to have seen is less solid detailing with the blue feathers. Somehow, at the moment, they seem to resemble the scales of a fish instead of feathers. Are these feathers so solid, or are they fluffier?
Thanks Biddy. I went with my photo reference and did the best I could. Maybe you have any advice how to make them seem fluffier next time?
I would just get the putty erasure and take out some of the strength of the graphite.
This is lovely. One of my favourite birds.
It’s just the blue feathers, front upper half. I am not a user of Coloured Pencils and Smooth Pastels, but I think it would break up those harsh brown lines at the end of the feathers if you used dots instead of lines. Or maybe a better suggestion: You have some wonderful thin lines at the crown of his head which really gives the impression of fluffiness, so try and use this method and you may find the ends of the feathers look more realistic