Colouring the Lorikeet

Bird feathers grow in layers, so when you're colouring, you don't want to end up with a very smooth finish or seamless blends between colours. The feathers on rainbow lorikeets are colourful and distinct... they are blue and then they are red without having a gradual colour change.

I printed the lorikeet digital image in very light grey ink so the lines would be almost invisible once the image was completely coloured. I coloured the feathers of the bird allowing the texture of each brush stroke to follow the natural contours of it's body, which helps to create the illusion of individual feathers as well as describing the shape of the bird.

Add coloured pencil over the top of the marker to help define the finer features such as the nostrils, beak and eye.

Add a little more detail to the eye. This is the first place we tend to look when viewing an animal or person and therefore needs to be convincing.

Don't forget to make a note about the colours you use on your creation, it will become a surprisingly handy reference for future projects.

Stamps:

Rainbow Lorikeets