Decorative Painting: Chatty Birds

Send a joyful message on this elegant stationery to someone special. This grand prize winner of our mail art contest comes from Tokyo, Japan.

I call these two facing birds the "chatty birds," and they're one of my favorite painting motifs. I decided to paint them with some wildflowers for my entry in the mail art contest. As I was taking a walk around my house one day, I was inspired by the bright green clover which trembled in the spring breeze. In the sunlight, the leaves were fresh and the little pink flowers looked so sweet. I decided to paint them to complement the birds.

Preparation

Use a sharp pencil to trace the pattern on tracing paper. Transfer the design onto good quality letter paper and matching envelope using light colored transfer paper and a stylus. At this time transfer only the outline for the birds, leaving out the facial features, beak, feet and the feathers. Omit the clusters of wild berries.


Birds

Base the body with Lt. Ivory, using a #4 flat brush. Side load the brush with a thinned mix of Burnt Umber and Bouquet to shade along the head to the belly area. When dry, transfer the pattern for the eye, beak, feet and feathers.

Fully load a #2 round brush with Lt. Ivory and dip the tip of the brush in Burnt Umber to paint the comma strokes for the tail. Then paint the shorter feathers for the wings and back. The one longer feather is painted in the same way, but use a larger brush, if desired. Re-stroke some of the shorter feathers including the tail with thinned Bouquet.

Use a #10/0 liner for the details. Fill in the beak with Butter Yellow and outline with Burnt Umber. Paint the feet with Burnt Umber, adding a tiny dot at the tiptoes. The feathers next to the eye are Burnt Umber.

Paint a Black dot for the eye with the stylus and highlight the bottom with White. The eyelashes are done with Black. The cheek is a wash of Tompte Red done with the brush handle end. Allow to dry.

Leaves and Stems

Base all the leaves with Stonewedge, using a #0 or #2 flat brush. You can shade the inner areas with a side load of Turquoise and highlight some of the outer edges with Lt. Ivory. However, any areas of these stylized leaves could be shaded or highlighted. Add the veins with the #10/0 liner and Lt. Ivory, then add a Turquoise dot in the center with a stylus.

Paint the stem lines with a #1 script liner. Paint one of the two longer stems under the birds with Green Sea and the other with Alpine. Paint the rest of the shorter stems with either color as desired. Color variety in this delicate linework will enhance the design as a whole.

Flowers and Buds
Fill in each flower petal with a mix of Bouquet + a touch of Lt. Ivory and Tompte Red, using the #0 flat brush. Add highlights with the #10/0 liner and Lt. Ivory, then place a dot of Butter Yellow in the center and surround with a few Tompte Red dots.

Paint strokes for the bud with the #2 round brush and the same mix as for the flower petals, then add an "S" stroke to the edge with Lt. Ivory. Paint the bract and stem with the #10/0 liner and Stonewedge, then put a Green Sea dot at the bottom.

Wild berries are clusters of small dots of Silver and 14K Gold. They're just suggested and are painted like a bunch of grapes using the stylus.

MATERIALS Letter paper (6 3/8" x 8 1/2" and envelope 4 3/8" x 6 9/16", Moonstone Grey 100% cotton fiber
Acrylic Palette 14K Gold Alpine Black Bouquet Burnt Umber Butter Yellow Green Sea Lt. Ivory Silver Stonewedge Tompte Red Turquoise White	Brushes #0, 2 & 4 flats #2 round #10/0 liner #1 scrpit liner	Other Supplies Pencil Transfer paper, light colored Stylus Tracing paper
Product Notes Acrylics by Delta Ceramcoat. Brushes by Loew-Cornell (7300 flats, 7000 rounds, 7050 and 7350 liners). Stationery from Crane & Co., Inc., Dalton, MA.