Introduction: Be Able to Paint This in a Few Easy Steps!

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Do you want to make this eagle painting?

Well, in a few easy steps you can make this awesome picture come to reality! This is a watercolor painting, which, if all the steps have been followed correctly, can be made with ease.

You may think that this will be difficult, but as a newcomer to the art world I say otherwise. Everyone can do art, but need to know the process to create, and that is where my instructable comes in.

It can easily change your mind about the difficulty of art, and open up the doors of opportunity and possibility that come with paint. With paint you can create and depict anything you desire, and this image is just a small teaser of what you can do with paint.

You may be thinking that art requires expensive materials, but that is not true, you can make this piece with the following materials/supplies.

Supplies

  • A sheet of watercolor paper, the type of watercolor paper can be changed to preference.
  • A set of watercolors; a water based paint, which can vary of the transparency. (tube or pan is optional)
  • A set of paintbrushes, they can be basic paintbrushes, but a variety would be recommended. (flat or rounded)
  • A mixing pallet, you can also use an old plastic plate, as the purpose is to mix your desired colors.
  • A water jug, needed to contain the water that is painted with.
  • A basic pencil and eraser can be used to sketch out the drawing.

Step 1: Separating Into Shapes:

To begin this painting, we must first begin the sketching process. As shown in the image, we can divide our drawing into a couple main shapes;

  • A circle, for the main head of the bird, that should be drawn in the center. (as shown in image).
  • Two ovals, for the beak, need to be drawn next to each other (as shown in image).
  • Two lines can be drawn to show the upper body placement (as shown in image).

NOTE; These shapes should be drawn lightly, as we must erase them in later steps. The shapes do not need to be perfect, as they are just a way to keep our proportions correct throughout the whole process.

Step 2: Connect the Lines Correctly:

The next step, is to connect the shapes in the way the image does above.

  • Around the area of the beak, draw consistent curved lines (as shown in image).
  • Around the other parts, make sure to draw more straight lines (as shown in image).
  • At the ends, to give a feather effect, make sure to draw jagged lines (as shown in image).

Draw lightly, as we need to erase it later, but, make sure its a little darker than the previous guidelines.

Step 3: Add Details:

Erase the shape guidelines from the first step, and begin the details as shown on image:

  • Shade the bird (as shown in image).
  • Draw an eye and shade it (as shown in image).
  • Draw jagged ruffles on the body of the bird, which will act as feathers (as shown in image).

Note; This should be drawn darker than the previous layer, but should be kept light enough to erase. This does not have to be perfect, as we will erase this again and paint over it.

Step 4: Erase Lightly:

The next step, is to erase the image until you can only see the faint outlines. We must do this since we are going to be painting on top of it, and once the watercolor paint is placed, you cannot erase the pencil lines.

Note; Make sure to rub the drawing as lightly as needed with the eraser, to make sure, only faint outlines can be seen.

Step 5: Painting the Beak:

To begin the painting process, take yellow ochre, and lightly paint the beak. Make sure to make the lower part and edges a little darker. Since this is watercolor, we will need to water down the paint before applying.

Note; Follow how the image is shown above. Use a small brush for this part.

Step 6: Painting the Eye:

Using an extremely dark brown, or subtle black, you can start to outline your sketch of the eye. Make sure to use a thin brush, as details will be difficult with bigger brushes. Make sure to leave a couple of white spots in the eye. Follow the image above, and do the eye accordingly.

With the same color, you can make a small oval on the beak, to act as the nostril hole.

Note; Take your time as this will be a little tricky. Make sure to use a less saturated version of your used color to fill the inside of the eye (to shade).

Step 7: Painting the Body:

Paint the body of the bird, grey, and make sure to shade it, as done in the image above. The fur below the beak, should be a darker grey than the rest. Make sure to shade the edges of the bird with the same grey, (as shown in image).

Note; Keep following the image, and variate the shades of grey. Details should be done in a darker shade, and base coats in the lightest shade.

Step 8: Adding the Final Details:

If anything is not yet matching the image shown in the previous step, now is the time to alter, fix and correct a few small mistakes.

Step 9: Enjoy Your Handmade Illustration:

Now, you can enjoy an amazing illustration, which you can call your own masterpiece.

Thank you for taking interest in my instructable, and most importantly, I hope you have discovered the wonders of what paint can do!