This is another work in progress, one with which I am quite happy. It’s a male southern masked weaver, native to Africa, who paused in his work just long enough to contemplate the camera. This is going to be a good exercise in patience. I knew heading into this project that the grasses of the nest would be tedious and frustrating so I’ve devoted a lot of focus to making them look believable. If Carl Brenders can render a thousand blades of grass and leaves, then I can force myself to do this. I’m learning the hard way that there is no short cut to good realist wildlife, I just need to take my time.
The first image is the Imprimatura which is just a stain of the white of the board with some basic darks and highlights painted in. The second image is the start of my underpainting. I have about five thin glazes of paint over the green background, which was necessary to get a nice smooth color transition and I am on my first layer with the grasses in the nest.
This is oil on masonite, 14X11.
