Duck Stamp

The duck stamp competition and my use of reference images for this project mainly guided me. I chose the Bufflehead duck to recreate and added two little baby ducks. I was guided by an assortment of reference images online that helped create the reeds, ducks, and water. I was guided by realism and hoped to produce a very realistic and accurate scene of Bufflehead ducks and their environment. 

I initially used graphite pencils for a quick outline and then went in with colored pencils for the rest of the piece. I also used a bit of gel pen to highlight the white areas that are difficult to emphasize with colored pencils. I tried to burnish and blend for a glossy appearance on the water and realistic reeds and ducks. 

When starting this project, I researched the long list of potential duck options and settled on this one. I loved the color scheme of this duck with simple yet beautiful colors.  I initially began with only one adult male but thought it would be fun to add some baby ducks for variety. I added a few reeds to convey this duck's habitat, which is lakes and oceans. I also drew in a glowing moon and tried to highlight the radiating orange and yellow glow on the reeds, ducks, and water. I wanted to create an accurate, simple, and peaceful representation of a Bufflehead duck family taking a swim in the moonlight.