Paint a Little Bird
From Scratch 🐦

Using your pencil, draw a slightly diagonal branch running from the left side to the right side of the canvas, positioned in the lower third. On the branch, draw a large circle for the bird's body and a slightly smaller circle on top for the head. On the right side of the head, add a small triangle for the beak. Below the body, sketch two small claw shapes gripping the branch. Keep all lines light and loose.

Mix Cobalt Blue with a generous amount of Titanium White to create a soft, pale sky blue. Using your large flat brush, apply this color evenly across the entire canvas. Let dry for 1–2 minutes before moving on.

Load your medium brush with Burnt Umber and paint along the branch pencil lines with confident horizontal strokes. The branch should be slightly thicker on the left and taper toward the right. Add one or two small fork shapes at the right end to suggest branching twigs.

Load your brush with Cobalt Blue and fill in the bird's head and body with smooth circular strokes following the round shapes. Apply the paint generously. Then switch to Titanium White and paint a large oval belly area in the center of the body. The white belly should cover about one-third of the body area.

Using a fine brush and Lemon Yellow, paint the small triangle beak on the right side of the head. Then paint two small claw shapes on the branch below the body — each claw has 3 short lines spreading forward. Using Lamp Black, paint a large round eye on the head. Leave a small white dot unpainted in the eye for a sparkle effect.

Using a fine brush and Cobalt Blue, add a few short upward strokes at the very top of the head to suggest a small feather crest. Step back and look at your painting — touch up any areas where the background shows through. Your little bird is complete! 🐦