Thesis Paintings - Saker Falcon

Here is the completed saker falcon painting (the fourth of ten thesis paintings):



Previously posted paintings:

Mongolian Eagle Hunters
Barn Owl - Mousers
Harpy Eagle - Overlooking Tikal

Upcoming paintings (in the following order):

Red-Tailed Hawk - Farmland Guard
Peregrine Falcon - Duck Hawk
Bald Eagle - He Who Catches the Salmon
Griffon Vulture - Fertile Goddess
Lanner Falcon - Eye of Horus
Gyrfalcon - Bird of Kings

Saker Falcon Painting Progress 3

This is probably the last progress shot before I finish the painting. One a painting reaches this stage, I generally work on it steadily until I finish.



I'm having a lot of fun with the hood. The silver adornment is especially challenging, since I get to experiment with a reflective, shiny surface.

Saker Falcon Painting Progress 2

I should have posted this last night, but I got caught up on other things and it slipped my mind. Here is last night's progress of the saker falcon painting:



Right now I'm trying to get detail in while making sure the colors move around the composition. This shouldn't be a problem, since the falcons' beaks are bluish, so there won't be an overwhelming expanse of blue at the top third of the piece without any blue anywhere else.

Despite being a forest girl inside and out, I can still appreciate the dramatic beauty of the desert. There aren't many places you get such vibrant color, and the burning orange of the sand with the striking blue of a desert sky definitely serves for an interesting color palette.

Saker Falcon Painting Progress

Now that I've finished with the harpy eagle, it's onto the saker falcon. I hope the experience gained from the study will help me with the plumage and form. Already I feel more confident with the forms of my falcons. It's amazing what you learn by staring at photo after photo of falcons! You begin to discover things about feather patterns, plumage, even little bits of personality that you didn't see before.



I knew essentially what I wanted to do for this painting, but the composition was giving me trouble. My professor, Rick Lovell, helped me and his suggestions helped me get to the composition I have now. At first I was hesitant to put a bird in with a hood, but then I realized this is as much about the humans in falconry as it is about the birds, and hoods, jesses, and perches are important to show the details of falconry.

Here is a quick photo of the first washes. I will be using a similar technique as I did in the study, with watercolor washes covering the entire piece to give everything a unifying tone (in this case, yellow ochre) with white gouache to give parts opacity.



Things look a bit warped and wonky since I have to photograph the progress shots instead of scanning. This piece is 11X14 stretched on a 16X20 board, which is next to impossible to scan. The sky will be that piercing blue you get in the desert, which contrasts so nicely with the yellow-orange desert earth, and the reddish-brown plumage of the sakers.

Also, just a reminder - if you're going to be in the Atlanta area on April 8th, be sure to stop by gallery 143 at the StudioPlex at 659 Auburn Avenue, to see the opening of the Four Voices thesis illustration exhibition. More information can be seen on the cards here.

Saker Falcon Study

Here is the completed saker falcon study


They seem to be rather diverse birds in terms of plumage. I found some with heavily streaked heads, and some with only a few streaks of brown. Of course, I know some of these birds may have had more immature plumage than others, but even the coloring on the back seemed different - some had slight barring, others didn't, some were more blue-gray and others almost entirely red. I think I got it for the most part, however, and it is good practice for my next thesis painting, which will explore the saker falcon in Middle Eastern falconry.



For this, I covered everything in the background wash (which I liberally textured with splatters from brushes and a toothbrush - lots of fun!), and then went in and painted the details on top. I also used a lot of white gouache, since I wanted parts to be more opaque.

Harpy Eagle Progress - 2

I got a bit caught up in painting and forgot to take a progress photo, so it's closer to finished than I meant for a progress shot!


And the progress of the saker falcon study:


I'm being a bit more liberal with my use of white gouache on the saker study. I haven't used it for more than just minor opaque effects, and I really wanted to make this a study of both of the bird and use of an unfamiliar media.

Harpy Eagle Progress and Saker Falcon Studies

I did the first few washes for the harpy eagle painting. I'm not sure how I feel about the challenge of so much jungle green, but I think it will work out nicely. In particular, I'm having fun with the eagle's crest feathers.



My next painting is going to most likely be the saker falcon, looking at its relationship with Middle Eastern falconers. During my research, I found a video of a saker hunting a small (baby?) gazelle (or other small species of deer), which was quite surprising. I never thought a falcon capable of taking down such prey. The video is here if you're interested.

Of course, the inspiration to paint falcons hit, so I decided to do a study on saker markings. They seem to be a varied bunch, especially in the markings on the head. It appears that most have plain brown backs without barring.


The sketch:


The initial background wash: