I finally got around to painting a King Vulture. (!) I’ve been fascinated by these birds for a long time, and this one presented a great challenge for watercolor. Its textures are tremendously varied: glassy eyes, shiny beaks, fluffy feathers, bristly hair-like feathers, wrinkly scalp, folded-up neck, facial disk and that tumorous wattle on the beak. Its colors are equally varied, ranging from vividly saturated oranges, reds, blues and purples to subtle variations in grey and white. This guy seemed to possess almost every painting challenge conceivable except reflective surfaces! Maybe I should have added sunglasses?
More information on the bird and the sketch this painting is based on can be found at https://blog.bohanart.com/2016/03/king-vulture-pencil-sketch-p68/.
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