Step by Step Miniature Wildlife Painting

"Tiny Treasures of the Natural World"

by Wes & Rachelle Siegrist

MINIATURE PAINTINGS: African Birds Birds of Prey Butterflies Florals Gamebirds Landscapes Mammals Portraits Reptiles Songbirds Larger\|Older Reproductions HIGHLIGHTS: Biography Exhibits Statements Resumes Galleries Publications Newsletters History Awards Framing Sitemap CONTACT: Order Testimonials siegrist@artofwildlife.com	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.
	Simple outline sketch of subjects with a toned clayboard.	I'm using a #6 round sable brush at this point.
	An initial wash of yellow ochre to the background.	A second coat fills in the slight clayboard texture.
	Gradation is applied to the background and more "massing" is done on the birds.	Body colors are applied.
	Simple outline sketch of subjects with a toned clayboard.	At this point I'm more careful with brushwork. (#3 round brush)
	Details and additional colors are introduced. (#3/0 brush)	A stippled pattern is applied to the background.
	Additional stippling (@2 hours total).	The shell gold is applied which looks great in person but just so-so in a scan.
	It's all a matter of adding details and adjusting colors from here out.



	I still made some adjustments even after signing the work (yea...I should have asked Rachelle's opinion first!).	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.