A Sandhill Crane, over 4 feet tall and brandishing his dagger beak, is intent on finding his next morsel. I wanted to emphasize the detail of the bird’s red head and threatening black beak, so I chose a side view with the neck and shoulders receding into the abstract background. The vertical proportion of the painting suggests the height of the subject, even though the bird’s legs are not seen.
I painted the background first, wet-into-wet. Once the first layer had dried, I used a toothbrush to flick masking fluid onto the paper. Then I applied a second layer of wet-into-wet and spattered water to add more texture. Finally I painted the bird, with attention to the detail of the head.