Sitting Pretty

Many carvers find painting to be their least favorite part of this art form. I have never really understood why. The problem may be that many people don’t know how colors relate to each other. This is something we all look into, research, and experiment with. Much can be said on this subject, and there is just not enough space or time to do it here. That being said, I will try to simplify things as best I can and walk you through painting the sharp-shinned hawk.

I generally do all of my painting with two basic brushes. I like Loew-Cornell series 7020 round #2 and a basic ½" oval wash brush. These are pretty much the only paintbrushes I use. I do like using an airbrush, but it is not a requirement. If you are going to airbrush, though, it is important to understand fully the ins and outs of the equipment and realize that cleanliness is a requirement! I have found that the Iwata HP-B is a good all-around airbrush for both beginner and professional.

For this project my paint colors are raw umber, burnt umber, Payne’s gray, titanium white, warm white, raw sienna, black, burnt sienna, cadmium yellow light, arylamide yellow, and yellow oxide. I am using Atelier Free Flow acrylic. I have found that this brand has a nice, rich pigment.