Recently
I was asked to make a painting based on John James
Audubon's (April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851) American
White Pelican. The original plate was CCCXI part of The Birds of
America. The original is pictured below. I took this commission
up as a challenge and an opportunity to try something new. It is
fair to note this would not be a exact copy of the original. For
instance, it will be a 4ft x 4ft painting in acrylic paint, instead
of an oil painting in a rectangle shape. You may notice that in the
original painting, the style of the pelican and the background are
different. Audubon painted his own birds while another artist painted
his backgrounds. Just another challenge.
First challenge was to make a rough
mock up drawing. I had to make a 3ft x 3ft charcoal drawing. In this
drawing I had to create tree lines, shore line, and sky lines that
connect to the lines in the original painting. Then make approximate
rendering of the pelican. After that was done, I took the mock up to
the client for approval to start the painting.
