Step by Step Miniature Wildlife Painting

"Tiny Treasures of the Natural World"

by Wes & Rachelle Siegrist


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Wes's "Mediterranean Monarchs" rendered in watercolor on clayboard. This painting is a traditional one-sixth scale miniature painting although the style is more painterly than most of our miniatures. The background has a layer of 24 karat shell gold. The reference for this painting was a photograph I took at the Denver Zoo of a pair of immature Cinereous Vultures.
Step by step painting
Simple outline sketch of subjects with a toned clayboard.
Step by step painting
I'm using a #6 round sable brush at this point.
Step by step painting
An initial wash of yellow ochre to the background.
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A second coat fills in the slight clayboard texture.
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Gradation is applied to the background and more "massing" is done on the birds.
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Body colors are applied.
Step by step painting
Simple outline sketch of subjects with a toned clayboard.
Step by step painting
At this point I'm more careful with brushwork. (#3 round brush)
Step by step painting
Details and additional colors are introduced. (#3/0 brush)
Step by step painting
A stippled pattern is applied to the background.
Step by step painting
Additional stippling (@2 hours total).
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The shell gold is applied which looks great in person but just so-so in a scan.
Step by step painting
It's all a matter of adding details and adjusting colors from here out.
Step by step painting
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I still made some adjustments even after signing the work (yea...I should have asked Rachelle's opinion first!).
Step by step painting
Finished scanned painting. Other images were taken with a digital camera and not color corrected. This painting was completed over a three day period. @12 hours.

All Images © Wes and Rachelle Siegrist. All Rights Reserved by the Artists.