help with feathers

hi all thinking of tryin an eagle head ? is is there any tricks to doing the feathers

[noaksey]

im not real comfortable giving "tips" as i dont reckon i know enough yet to be able to give them! but i did do an eagle and used real feathers, it worked out well ,different sizes and just the tips , i just lightly sprayed around them, im sure someone with more experiance will help here, and i would be interested as well. riki.

[customhog]

thanks riki i bought some small feathers just havent tryed them yet wasnt sure

[fontgeek]

Alot really depends on the size of the finished piece, what kind of look you are going for, etc.
Unless the view is really up close, you wouldn't see that much detail. Doing tons of detail on an object that's supposed to be a distance from the viewer looks as bad as doing the opposite; no detail on something that is supposed to be up close.
Using feathers, leaves, torn cardboard or paper can also help you keep a pretty realistic look. Homework and study of photos of your species definitely helps too.

[fontgeek]

When painting these kinds of textures, you need to keep your goal in mind in your planning. Feathers, like scales, aren't normally outlined like a coloring book. We recognize them for their shape primarily by the mild highlights they shine and the shadows they cast. For a great number of birds, the feathers are not layed out with a single color per feather, so the trick for doing the birds is to do the painting of the bird with the general coloring in place, then come back and add the shadows and highlights to the features (feathers, legs, wings as a whole, etc.). Keep your light source in mind during your planning and painting. Plan out where you will need to go lighter in color for surfaces facing the lightsource, and darker for areas facing away from the lightsource. It's always easier to come back and make an area darker if you need to than it is to try to lighten an area that's already dark in color or shade.

So, using your feathers, cardboard, etc., use dark,transparent shades of the colors and do a few light passes using your masks (the feathers, etc.) to take the bulk of the paint, and let the overspray falling away to the non-lightsource side cast the shadows. Keep in mind that we use the definition and detail to tell us how close or far the surface is from us. The closer the surface to us the sharper the detail, the further away from us the softer or less the detail. So on a rounded surface like the head of the eagle, the detail for the feathers and such soften as they wrap around the head and neck, away from the viewer.

Feathers are not layed out randomly, nature has them in specific sizes and position, and while most people couldn't tell you what those positions or sizes are, they can tell you when they look wrong or fake.

Good luck, take some pictures of your work through it's stages, include the reference image, learn, and have fun.

[customhog]

thanks very much fontgeek will give it a try

[fresnojohns]

Customhog,
I want to see your feathers as well. I for one have always tried to over do them. The thing is, I have seen eagles up close and even on buildings
done with a big wide brush and they have one thing in common, they
look great and there is not alot of time consuming detail. I have also read many custom painting books and they say eagles are the easiest things
to do. I have come to the conclusion to make things simple and sometimes they turn out much better. I hope to see your eagle soon.
Fresnojohns