Pintail hen

[MLBob Furia]

Wet snow came down all day here + the sloughs are now up out of their banks. Water levels will be back to more normal around Tuesday and hopefully they'll stay open as the temps drop along with the water.

Holed up in the studio and started on the hen that goes with this drake.

View attachment Birespintail 009 (600 x 399).jpg

Spatter painted hen head:

View attachment Birespinhen 012 (600 x 399).jpg

bill detail:

View attachment Birespinhen 010 (600 x 449).jpg

 

[TimJ]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, you make some of the best looking duck bills I've ever seen...the rest of the bird isn't bad either.

Tim

 

[Al Hansen]

I agree with Tim. Those beaks are right on. They, the pintails, seem to be a difficult color or application for some but not you. Nice work, Bob. By the way, I liked the way you incorporated that pic of the hen shot for a background.
Al

 

[MLBob Furia]

Al,

The pic in the background wasn't intentional. However, "The Book" is something that is always nearby when I paint. It's my well-worn, paint-stained copy of John Gooders & Trevor Boyers' Ducks of North America. I've always liked the color plates & illustrations in it as a starting reference for simplifying field markings on decoys (that and my Audubon book)

Hard to see, but if you look closely, you'll see lots of writing in the margins. That book has been with me for many years now. I've made notations on painting, color mixes, etc, etc over the years..... have to have something to compensate for not being able to keep all that information in my head.

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[Steve Parisi]

Awesome... as usual.

Steve