Great Blue Heron - Step by Step

Great Blue Heron - acrylic - 11"x14" - Pat Dolan

Tracking the progress of this Great Blue Heron, I photographed it at several stages, including completion, above. Below, the first stage of painting - roughing in the basic colors/shapes. The photos above and below are the same first stage, just different perspectives.

Below, adding more color, still very rough painting style. Just wanting to lay down the important areas of color.

Adding the eye always seems to bring the bird to life. Adding the long beak also helps give the Heron a more life-like appearance.

The beginning of adding more color, more detail, determining the proper shaping, flow, etc.

Adding more depth of color, more detail in the wing with the flowing white/blue-gray feathers cascading down the edge of the wing... If you click on the image, you will get a closer view of this image.

The completed painting is at the beginning of the post. I hope this helps you understand a bit of the process of taking a drawing to a completed painting!