Jul 174 min read

Adding A Bird to a Composition by Shawn Dell Joyce

"Exodus" Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord 24x36 2024

This is the painting before birds-you can see it needs a little something.

Sometimes a painting just needs a little something to make the difference between mediocre and magnificent. In my case, it is often a bird. Birds are highly symbolic. In Egypt, birds were messengers from the Gods. In early Christianity; doves were associated with the Annunciation and the flood. I think of birds as an emblem of freedom, the unfettered human spirit. Adding a bird to painting creates a focal point and a layer of meaning.

It does not have to be a bird. Many paintings would benefit from a focal point in the form of an animal, human, or whatever you choose to add. Since you are adding something that wasn’t in the scene or reference photo, there are a few simple things to consider; scale and light logic.

Scale

You want to make sure the bird (person or creature) is the right size for the composition. This may involve a little sighting or sight-sizing which is a form of gauging proportion. First, find an object close to where you want to add the subject and measure it. If the subject were actually in that scene would it be bigger or smaller than that measurement.

For example, this I’m measuring the height of the crest of the wave and making the bird largerr than the wave since it is in front of the wave in the composition.

This study shows light source behind the bird similar to the landscape and using the same colors from the landscape. I laid the colors out according to value.

Light Logic

Light logic is an art term for how light wraps around a form. Once you figure out the direction of the light, you can extrapolate how light will land on your subject and show the form. If you squint, you can easily determine which direction the light is coming from. Light tends to illuminate all the planes facing it, and shadows darken all the planes facing away from the light. Both lights and darks fall in patterns.

You may not readily see these patterns. It takes a bit of training your eye to catch the subtle nuances of light and dark. Once you start to see it, it becomes easier to see.

I choose reference photos where the light is close to what I have in my painting to keep it simple. It will never be exact unless you shoot the photo in the same light and setting as you make the painting. Often, when I’m painting in plein air and a couple strolls down the beach or a bird flies by that I’d like to add to the painting, I snap a quick cellphone photo and work from it. This is helpful because I can’t always capture the people before they pass by, and also because the light and color on the figures will be the same as the painting.

If you are adding a subject from another scene into your painting, you’ll need to adjust the lighting. It’s helpful to practice first, then add the subject to your painting. In adding the egret into the storm scene, I ascertained that the light was low on the left horizon. I made a study on plain paper of the egret but changed the lighting slightly to make it fit the scene. I back lit the bird with the light hitting squarely on the back and all the planes of the bird facing that direction. The front (facing away from the light) would naturally be darker. I use the same colors on the bird that I used on the landscape remembering that light bounces around a scene.

Cutting out your study and taping it to the painting will give you and idea if the scale and lighting are correct.

This study is to scale so once finished, I can cut it out with a pair of scissors to position it and see how it looks. I used an Exacto knife and tried the bird in a few positions before deciding that I wanted to paint a whole flock of Egrets instead of just one.

Having positioned the cut out, I realized that I needed a whole flock instead!

I made another study giving myself an idea of what that may look like and using several birds from another snapshot. I liked the concept and decided to add more of the birds to the painting. I transferred my studies by putting pastel on the backside of the paper (not the side with the bird painted on it) and positioned the study on top of the painting where I wanted the bird to go. I then used the end of a paintbrush (not the soft fuzzy side) as a pencil to trace the shape of the bird onto the painting. Don’t use a pencil here or you will ruin your study, use something that doesn’t leave a mark.

When I lift the study you can see the faint outline of the bird on the painting. I can now paint it using the same colors from the landscape like I did before for the study. If I don’t like it, I can erase it with brush and try again in a different place.

Study using the same bird photographed flying away from me but painted to look like a flock.

I often do this with one bird, then free-hand all the rest so that they overlap and look more natural. I made a whole flock in this painting based on three photos of the same bird I took while it was flying away from me.

I tend to use the same few photos of birds, most are ones I snapped while plein air painting here in Florida. I often change the lighting and palette based on the painting I am adding the bird to. Birds are my go-to choice but you can use the same process with any animal.

Here’s a few examples of my other paintings done using this same method with the same reference photo. I suggest you use your own photos & shoot birds or animals in your painting environments. This will make it much easier to incorporate into your paintings in terms of scale and light. It also allows you to enter these paintings into PSA-sponsored exhibits which expressly require you to use your own photos.