A girl and her pencils.....Great Blue Heron gets a sunrise

Hello world! Hello my blog reading friends. Hello to all you Google surfers who have accidentally stumbled across me. A very happy Tuesday to you all.
Well, l told you in my last post that l had an idea for the background, as ever l have been questioning myself as to whether it will work. And l know you could try this out in Photoshop - which l don't have, or some similar app, which l do have. But l just can't get the hang of it. So l thought I should just go for it and try it out. I found a beautiful reference photo to use for the sunrise on Pixabay, and off l went.
Incredibly what you see in the picture below took me a whole day. I know it will need more layers, but it has done what l wanted it to do. I can see that it does work. I really love the colors of the sky against the bird.
My other debate with this picture was whether to add anything else, like a branch or fence or chimney pot. In the end l decided not to, because l really like the feeling of isolation that l get from seeing just the bird and the sky. And l did not want to distract from the beautiful angle of the head and the tousled feathers by drawing the eye away from them too much.
Anyway, l think the sky will work because l felt excited about this piece once l added it. That is always how l judge both photos and my work. I could not draw from a photo that did not make me feel impelled to draw it. Well, l could, but you would know that l did not love the photo from the finished results. If you love what you draw there is no desire to rush or to get finished. You just enjoy each part of the process.

As l write this post the heron is actually finished, and l begin my new project today. The beautiful Maa Maa, absolutely stunning kitty belonging to the lovely catsandcompany on Instagram. The heron is available to buy in my shop now, or you can visit my website for lots more colored pencil art and tips. Both links below.
I hope that you are all having lots of fun with your projects. Always remember that art should be fun. Love what you do. Enjoy it. Happy drawing!

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