I made the drawing from a photo that I took of a group of sparrows that had gathered on my back deck rail. I was amazed to see so many in a group. One bird was sitting on the post and looked to be talking to the birds sitting on the rail; so cute.
This first painting option is printed on faux canvas. It comes flat, with indented creases to be folded to make a box like shape. A notch is already cut out for hanging. It is lightweight. I recommend this option for a beginner, and or for kids. The paint seems to dry quicker on this material, which can be helpful if there are hands and arms that might end up resting on the paint. However, it does wash off with soap and water.
This next option is printed on wrapped canvas. It is heavier and sturdier than the faux canvas, and is meant to last long term. I recommend this option for more serious painters. With this surface, there is more blending time when using acrylic paint, as compared to the faux canvas.
The drawing is the same on both canvases.
Here is the finished painting that I did on the wrapped canvas; I decided to make the sparrows colorful!
I used two types of acrylic paint on this painting. I used bottled acrylics (liquid acrylic paint) for the background. I used acrylic paint in tubes (full bodied acrylic paint) for the birds. The full bodied acrylic paint has better coverage, and was also much brighter than the liquid acrylics. I don't know if that was just a brand difference though. I did use Americana paint for the liquid paint, and Liquitex for the full bodied paint.
If you paint this picture, let me know what kind of paint you use, and your thoughts in the comment section below.
If you are more visual, check out my video:
Happy painting!
Cheryl Paton
