Pileated Woodpecker Watercolor Painting demo from Start to Finish
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Here I am adding more detail into the bark of the tree.

The bark is almost where I want it. Very realistic look and with a lot of texture. With watercolor paint you don't get a lot of paint build up like you do with oils or acrylics, so you cant rely on the texture of the paint, you must paint it in by hand using lights and darks to creat shadows. The tree is not quite finished yet do to the shadowing that the bird will cast on it once the bird is done, but I did add the holes so that it appears almost done and as you can see in the photo I started roughing in the woodpecker as well.

As you can see it's going to take a while to rough in all the feathers.

Well the bird is pretty much roughed in with the exception of the feet. I now have a lot of detail work a head of me.......I now started to add more detail and shading to the feathers.

(Left) I just worked a little on the back feathers today. There's really no easy or quick way to paint feathers. You just have to paint one at a time. Overlapping each one like shingles on a roof. About a million lines, a lot of shading and about a gallon of patients would be a good recipe. I have a lot more shading and softening to do on them, but for the most part they are there and now I can move on to other areas of the bird. I try to get the entire bird to the same point before I move on to other areas of the painting, but nothing is ever finished until everything is complete. If that makes any sense. Every objects affects the other one way or another.

(Right) Worked on the bird all the way around. The tail, darkening the back feathers, worked on the belley, neck and head. The bird is really starting to come alive now. Just a little more shading on the back feathers, touching up here and there and finally a shadow on the treaa and feet to plant the bird on the tree. Looks like a couple more days and it will be done and on to the next one. Hope you're enjoying the blog.

	A few small details that you probably won't notice and the feet, which you probably will notice. Now that the painting is this far, I will be doing some small details and shading here and there. Nothing really to be qualified as another step to show. This will be the finishing touches and will probably take a couple of days.
	Signing the painting.

Well as you can see in the photo to the left the painting is done. Since the last step I added detail just about everywhere in the painting . I darkened the and softened the feathers. Dropped a shadow under the bird for depth and added the moss to the tree for a needed splash of color. I even added a tail feather that I though was missing. Over all this was a fun painting to paint and I'm very happy with the results. I hope you are too. I hope you enjoyed the blog.

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Like all my paintings this too is available in an affordable print for your home.

Pileated Woodpecker signed Print only...$24.95
(11" x 14" Image)

Pileated Woodpecker Original Painting only...$950.00
Watercolor
(11" x 14 " Image)

Comments:

Mary Frances Fairweather: BEAUTIFUL!!! thanks for sharing the whole process!

Denise Jachimowicz Coughlin: Dan I love what you are doing with your artwork! How very wonderful to see your work in progress and the finished painting!

Mike Roy: Dan, I really enjoyed looking at the steps to making your painting, especially making the tree bark. Cool. Thanks for sharing.

Dan WaltzThanks Mike, glad you took the time to look. I'm trying to make it look easy. Maybe inspire a few people to start painting who knows. Hope to do a how-to book one day. The blog is great practice for just that.

Marcus Greggs: Nice going. Good to see the behind the job details.

Dan Waltz: Thanks Marcus, it's been a fun. It's a great way to show people just how much work goes into a painting, even though they don't see everything. Hoping it may inspire a few to pick up a pencil or a brush and give it a try.

Conni Beardsley: Just checked out this blog. AMAZING! You couldn't have convinced me that tree bark was painted.

Dan Waltz: Thanks Conni. Tree bark is fun to paint. You have a lot of freedom to do what you want or I should say let the paint do what it wants.

Riley McLincha: This piliated is at your house? Wow, pretty cool. The tree looks like a Pinus resinosa.

Dan Waltz: Hi Riley. The pileated was up north at my folks house. She stayed at the feeder long enough to take a few pics of it. I gave it a sex change for the painting though, and thank you for looking at my Pinus and correctly identifying it. You not only juggle balls with precise accuracy you also know your pinuses.

Riley McLincha: well that sounds more like it. a piliated at your place in GB would be rare.

Dana Mercer Lehman: That's amazing! It looks great!

Dan Fairweather: Thank you for sharing the process. Shows just how much work goes into each painting!!

Conni Beardsley: I really do envy your talent!

Candis Dobbs Waltz: Dan finished his painting.... take a look http://www.danwaltz.com/blogpileatedwoodpeckerpainting.html

Sandy Bogard: likes this.

Jennifer Hawk Frederick: WOW - WOW - WOW!!! He's so insanely talented! I love the in progress pictures. It really gives you an appreciation for the piece.

Candis Dobbs Waltz: Thanks!!! I have to agree he is very talented...

Chris Collins Sheick: great job!

Marie Trotz: Wow Candis, Dan did a beautiful job on the painting. He is really great.

Jerilyn Fisher: Wow! Dan has a gift! I've always had an appreciation for artists and singers...probably because I am challenged a both!

Marcus Greggs: Truly impressive work.

Chantal: WOW!!  Your painting turned out AWESOME!!  Thanks for sharing the pictures of the entire process!!  CONGRATS on yet another job well done!!

Mom: WOW IS RIGHT!!! I read all of your critiques of the painting and, as all of them, I'm more than impressed.  I just love it.  Every time I think you've done your BEST, you do another BEST.

burdr: Love the painting!

robertahynes: He is a very talented artist with a lot of patience : ) That finished painting is beautiful with so much detail. It is amazing.

MaineBirder: Wow, I would never have the patience to do this. Thanks for the link to the demo! The finished product is awesome!

Lit N Image: Beautiful. The detail of the bark is amazing, too.

Mary-Marcia Casoly: Enjoyed reading about the process, with admiration.

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