For this projected, I used colored pencils to draw a Harlequin duck for the Duck Stamp competition. Though, clearly, I did not finish. This project relates to my life because I think that duck preservation and wildlife preservation is a very important and relevant topic in today's society. To create this piece I used colored pencil for the duck and the foreground, and watercolor for the background. While working on this piece I expanded my knowledge and understanding of the use of colored pencil. My main understanding was derived from last years duck project, which taught me the fundamentals which I demonstrated in this project. I also experimented with water color due to my lack of experience with the material. To start this project, I began by brainstorming some ideas. I made four idea sketches and was leaning towards drawing a duck out of the water oppose to swimming. I new that drawing the water for a swimming duck would be more difficult than a duck out of the water. I went with one idea that showed the majority of the ducks feathers. This would allow me to focus on the more vibrant parts and colors. After sketching out the idea I did a graphite transfer to move it onto my drawing paper. Which was some kind of textured drawing paper on a piece of cardstock. I initially liked the sturdiness of the paper, though the layers of the paper proved problematic later on in the project. After I transferred the sketch i could get into the coloring. I started with the head, and decided that I would boost the colors and saturation to make the final product a bit more visually intriguing. The process of drawing the head went very smoothly and honestly it turned out better than I had hoped. I then could continue onto the body of the duck. I started with the chest and this is where I problems began. Because I was making longer strokes and burnishing as I had been doing, the top layer of the paper began to lift from the cardstock. This was a major issue because it would eventually start ripping. Though this was happening, I continued to work on the chest, and as I did, the problem klept spreading. Eventually, I decided to continue onto the rest of the duck and go back to the chest later. I started working on the main body of the duck behind the chest and this whole process went very smoothly. Somehow I managed to avoid all problems while drawing the body which is quite rare, especially for me. I continued drawing until I reached the textured feathers beneath the chest. It took a few moments to figure out how I would do this part, but I figured it out and finished it just in time because this part started lifting too. Then I was back onto the chest. At first I just tried to work through the lifted part and pretend it wasn't there but it caught up to me and started ripping. Then, I took a leap of faith, and decided to cut the lifted part away. I had no clue how the second layer would let me draw on it. At first when I began to color on the second layer it was going fine, though you could still see that there was a cut because of the seam. Quickly though, the second layer started to develop holes from the pencils and again, I decided to quit on the chest and move onto the water. Water is quite difficult to color, I have no clue on how to do it. Though using my reference I tried to match up the colors with shapes and hopefully it would eventually look like water. It did not. I have yet to discover the magic strategy to drawing water, though hopefully I will one day. After attempting the water I got my watercolor things together and after rushing through the rock and the ducks left foot I took blue and green and painted the water up to the horizon line. It looked like a pretty solid background so then I took red and orange and painted the sky area. Overall, it came out quite well and to finish it off I diluted the white and splattered it all over the background. I like the look of this effect and I think it adds a lot for an unrealistic touch. If I was to continue this project, I would just was to start over on a different piece of paper. I wish that I hadn't used this paper, I think this work had some potential but was unfortunately crushed by the layers of the paper.