Look up at that Bald Eagle.  A symbolic bird with a majestic presence.

The client and I agreed that the soaring Bald Eagle is a feast for the eyes.  The bird is still, with wings proudly outstretched, gliding through the air at speeds up to 45mph.  Power and grace.

It reminded me of the eagles from my youth in Pennsylvania, to the predator birds on my cross-country trip of Argentina, and  of course the Bald Eagles of my annual summer trips to Maine.

Let’s take a look at how this commission developed…

A loose graphite sketch exploring scale and placement.  Similar to Gaughin’s methods of drawing outlines in blue pencil.

Building from the process in my CMYK paintings I start with magenta. Positive and negative space.

Coming in with Cyan (blue) to divide the space even more, and start to tease out details of the eagle.

CMYK: Y is for yellow.

And K, is for “key“, better known as black.

Filling the foreground to establish a horizon in the background.

A blend of black on the water to accentuate a feeling of flatness relative to the flying eagle.

Now that the coastline is cohesive the space is really starting to be defined.  I’m exaggerating the highlights on the eagle to pop it forward.

Using one of my favorite blues to fill in the atmosphere of the sky.

Building the ocean up with more realistic colors, in the final version you can feel the warmth of the red underneath.

Right before its finished the sea darkens with texture, the mountains crystalize out-of-focus in the background, and the final details are added to the Bald Eagle.

Click image for larger image.

The final painting is a realistic portrayal with a signature painterly handling of the paint.

If you are interested in a commission contact me directly info@arilankin.com