Hello again! I must apologise for being late back from my break. I managed to catch a chest infection. I am still in bed but in much better shape now and able to blog from here! For this week I worked on completing a digital painting of a Mallard which I started a long time ago.
The approach I took with this painting was very similar to the way I approach traditional art. I basically blocked in and then refined sections of the painting.
I began with a simple drawing which acted as a kind of map for the piece…
Next I began blocking in the reflections in the water…
I refined those reflections a little and then blocked in the reflection of the duck…
Then I blocked in the duck itself…
Next I worked some more detail into the general reflections in the water. I found this quite tricky but also really expressive to do…
I then refined the reflection of the duck’s head and shoulders…
Next I went on to the reflection of the duck’s back…
Once that was done I completed the back and started on the detail of the actual duck, beak first. This was really enjoyable to do!
Next I worked on the details of the duck’s head and shoulders…
Finally I worked on the duck’s back and was finished…
Overall I really enjoyed making this picture. I certainly learned a lot about relfections!
jo fox - adventures in art 
Yes!!!
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Thanks – I see what you mean about it needing some softer edges so it can sit right. That does make sense.
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Thank you! I find myself continually fascinated by light on water. It really draws me in.
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Looks like we shared the same colors for Sky Pads 39 and the mallard. Good choices on both sides!
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Following on from the comments above I think the duck could do with a few softer edges, like you’ve softened the edges of some of the reflections.
The subject seems to be like a collage duck put on a painting of water and, for me, it could do with some softening in places to make it sit better.
But then you may have been after this effect – if so you’ve succeeded, Jo.
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Reflections are notoriously difficult to achieve, aren’t they – what’s visible, what’s hidden, compared with the original solid – but I think you’ve achieved the sleight of hand really well here by keeping the demarcation between the two components ambiguous. And of course the vibrant colours that are available with digital painting are used brilliantly as well!
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