Duck Stamp

To create this piece I first began by finding images of the duck I wanted to draw, a common goldeneye. Then, after picking and choosing what I wanted to recreate from a variety of images, I sketched my unique composition onto bristol. Next, I used a light watercolor wash to create a base to draw the ducks onto. After that, using Prismacolor pencils I started to create the female duck, trying to accurately depict the colors and placement of the feathers, highlights and shadows. Once the female duck was finished I tackled the water, for which I wanted a blue-green color that I felt depicted pond water nicely. Then I began to work on the male duck, which I feel is not as well rendered as the female duck, because at this point the assignment was late and I was feeling rushed. Finally, I used another watercolor wash to get a blurred background.

Because this is an assignment focused on photorealism, there is no real meaning to this piece, and that is something that I was really frustrated about. This was an incredibly time consuming piece, and having to rush because of grades and deadlines just made me angry about the piece. I didn't enjoy making it and I'm not happy with how it turned out.