How to Paint Birds on Spring Branches in Watercolor

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Gather supplies.

    A piece of 11" X 14" watercolor paper, a pencil, eraser, watercolors, a variety of brushes, a water bucket, a support board, masking tape, masking fluid and pictures of birds.
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   Step 2: Find pictures of branches with spring buds and flowers.

    Go to the internet for pictures.
   
   Google: "realistic bird coloring pages" for clear line drawings.
   
   Birding magazines, bird watching guidebooks and gardening catalogs are all places to look for inspiration and guidance. ,  They are quite realistic and come bearing blossoms in many varieties; apple, cherry, forsythia, and dogwood.
   
   Pussy willow is a spring mainstay, and will last forever. ,  Look at the real thing, see those little details provided by nature, tiny minutiae and peculiarities.
   
   These branches will add a sense of realism to your drawn and painted ones. , For the birds, art and craft shops have realistic looking, life-sized ones.  Some have wired feet so you can attach and pose them on a branch.
   
   Pictures of birds, either ones you have taken yourself or pulled from magazines will work, too. ,  Thumb through birding magazines and studying the myriad photos others have taken will give you lots of ideas.  Looking out your own windows will be helpful, too.  Begin to narrow your scope.  Start creating a mental image of what you want your own art work to look like. , Composition will be easy if you allow the diagonal lines of the dark branches to be prominent.
   
   This will give your composition stability and directional excitement.
   
   Another composition is to frame the entire picture plane with leaves and branches.  Working the entire four edges of the paper with foliage will draw the viewer's eye inward to your center of interest, the bird. , Google: "How to draw a bird" for ideas.
   
   Think of two basic shapes; an oval for the body and a circle for the head. , Try doing a bird with a few brush strokes.
   
   This will give you a fresh, lively looking bird.
   
   Do a lot of birds in this style of painting on a piece of scrap watercolor paper.
   
   Try various poses. , The choices are endless; bright and sunny, stormy, bleak and winter, rainy, a solid color, etc., Do this lightly in pencil.
   
   Make the bird at least life size.
   
   Since he is on a branch, Indicate where it will go. , It is entirely your choice., Paint around the bird. , Masking is a rubberized coating, that allows you can to paint right over an area, such as the bird, to get a unified background.
   
   After the piece is dry, you can unmask by rubbing with your finger or an eraser, and paint the bird at your leisure, knowing that the background is taken care of. , Leaves, buds and fully opened blossoms are all things you might want to put in your picture.
   
   If the leaves are just unfurling they will appear curled.
   
   The colors of spring might be more yellow green than the deep, rich, verdant greens of summer.
   
   This pastel green will contrast nicely with the dark branches.Do distant branches in gray or pale blue to have them appear to recede. , To do this, first mount your paper securely on all four sides to the support board with masking tape.
   
   This will keep the paper flat as your work., Do the entire page as background, branches, etc. everything but the bird.
   
   Paint right over where the bird will eventually be sitting.
   
   On a small piece of watercolor paper, do a bird.
   
   Sketch and paint it.
   
   Cut the bird out and adhere it over the background using sticky foam dots.
   
   The thickness of the dots will make the bird stand out slightly and give a spatial dimension to the piece. , It's free and yours for the taking.
   
   Appreciating such a vast gift is good, but making a piece of art inspired by nature elevates your experience and makes it unique and unforgettable.
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   Step 3: Buy a replicated branch at the craft store.

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   Step 4: Go outside and cut a branch from an actual tree.

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   Step 5: Get inspiration for the birds.

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   Step 6: Decide early what you want your art piece to say.

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   Step 7: Consider your composition.

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   Step 8: Practice drawing a simple bird shape.

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   Step 9: Practice painting birds first.

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    Step 10: Decide how you want the sky to look.

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    Step 11: Sketch your bird on the watercolor paper.

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    Step 12: Begin painting at any point on the paper.

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    Step 13: Do the background first if you wish.

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    Step 14: Use masking fluid to preserve the white paper where the bird will be.

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    Step 15: Include foliage.

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    Step 16: Try working wet-into-wet.

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    Step 17: Try a different way to achieve depth in your piece.

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    Step 18: Open your eyes to nature all around you.

Detailed Guide

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