Bird on a Perch 8×10 Pastel Painting

Painting birds, animals and people can be very intimidating.  We all know what they should look like and if we miss the mark, well…we all know it.

A week or two ago, I had the great fortune to work with Mike Beeman during a workshop in Denver.  I was excited to learn his style and approach to creating loose, painterly artwork.  Watching him work felt so freeing!  He made fun, loose marks, sprayed on alcohol for an alcohol wash and developed his birds through shape and value.  It was beautiful and inspiring.

During the workshop, I was happy to create this little bird from one of his reference photos.

"Bird on a Perch" 8x10 Pastel © Nelia Harper
“Bird on a Perch” 8×10 Pastel © Nelia Harper

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