Duck Stamp

Painting a duck or swan from one of the permitted species for the duck stamp competition was the major inspiration for this piece. I was attempting to determine which duck or swan most piqued my interest and what setting I wanted to depict it in with this piece. Because I liked the white scar on its neck, I decided to draw a brant. I tried to depict the various shades of brown in this painting. I wanted to highlight the feathers' dark and pale tones.

Drawing paper and colored pencils were used to create this piece. As I knew that drawing was one of my strengths, I first started by eyeballing the brant onto the paper using graphite. I then used a blue colored pencil to sketch the background. The brant was then scribbled over with more distinct shapes. I continued by coloring the brant in with browns and grays to accurately depict its colors.

Choosing the location of the brat on the canvas was the first step in producing this piece. I had originally intended to place it front and center, but I changed my mind and moved it a little to the left. To depict the roughness of the sea, I first painted the ocean in a light blue color and then added layers of darker blue over top.