The Bluebird of Happiness

Bluebird- 8" x 6" - Digital over graphite, by Greg Newbold

OK, so I wasn't so happy with the drawing of this one. Of the eight pieces I did for the egg book I just finished, I liked this one the least. That is, until I put color to it.  In fact if you look back at the posts I did of the sketches here and here you'll notice this one is missing. I think it was because this one is different from all the rest and somehow didn't seem to fit into the group. This is the only one in which the bird is in flight and also the only one where the egg is not visible. The lack of value contrast in the sketch around the bird was also a factor.

 I was following the AD specifications for picture content, so, as often happens in the illustration world,  I did as requested. As soon as I got it done though, I decided it was not bad at all and the action of the bird swooping out of the nest box is interesting and fun. When I added the bright blue of the bird though, the focus became clearer also. The shadow falling away from the bird was also a nice element that I think worked out well. Inventing believable cast shadows is an issue for many artists. I am still glad that my basic drawing class in college covered this topic effectively.