Now that I have my reference material all composed, I am able to precede with my Pansy Tea painting.

I like to sketch out my outlines with thinned oils on a white ground. I feel it helps me to maintain a clarity and vibrancy of color.

I begin to block in a bit of color as I feel more confident about the way the drawing is going.

Since the bird is the primary subject, I wanted to concentrate on it first.

The next goal I had was to work the entire canvas (all twelve inches of it).

Here I’ve built up highlights, shadows and details.

I will continue along this path, adding glazes to tone down areas until I feel it has enough depth and presence.  Speaking of presence,  I see my little finch is looking more like a chubby chick!  Taking pictures as you go along is a great way of seeing your work in a new way. Let’s see what I can do about that tomorrow!