Indian Runners

These five characters were actually painted last weekend, but a few finishing touches meant I could not get it photographed until now.

I have always wanted to have a go at painting Indian Runner Ducks. They are extremely comical with their strange upright posture, coupled with the way they all seem to run along together in a big line! The city farms of London always have them waddling around. I reckon it's mainly to entertain the children who visit!

I did not want to have just white ducks in this picture, as I think it is more interesting to have a mixture of patterns and colour. I enjoyed painting the 'pied' duck the most. Allowing the black and blue paint to run into each other and spread over the page, produced a very natural looking feathered pattern. Neither did I want to complicate the image with a background. Instead I wet the paper and flicked some ink over the floor beneath their feet, and once again let the black, green and brown run into each other.
I think what I enjoy the most about this picture is the movement. They are all moving along with purpose, and each individual seems to have it's own personality.

I have noticed that the BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year competition is looming once more. It is time to pick some more entries before the deadline. However, this weekend I may try and get a last minute watercolour done. I fancy tackling a Scarlet Macaw....

3 White Ducks

The start of 2010 has certainly been a snowy one! Here in London we only saw about 2 inches, but that was enough to disrupt transport, which meant I had to spend an extra day at home this week. I spent this day painting some Pekin Ducks. I took some lovely photos of these ducks when I was in Wiltshire recently, and they were certainly very photogenic.
I tried including a vaguely abstract background, however I am not sure it has had a positive result. The ground underneath their feet is textured and successful, but I feel the orange behind them is too scruffy and distracting. The idea was to have a background that compliments the blue feathers, which is striking, but I think I need a lot more practice. I am pleased with the ducks. They seem relaxed, enjoying the warm sunlight that is shining on their bodies.
I am going to paint some more ducks, but next time they will be Indian Runners. These strange fowl are so full of character and movement that they will be a lot of fun to recreate in watercolour.