The Downy Woodpecker
What's black and white and red . . . on the head? The downy woodpecker!
By: Al Jordan
Photography by Al Jordan
When painting the downy woodpecker I will use both an airbrush and hand brushing techniques. Before painting, I seal the bird with Deft sanding sealer.
This bird has two overall tones, black and white. Nature very rarely exhibits pure black or pure white so for this project our base colors will be ebony, which is a brownish value of black, and warm white, a brownish value of white. I will sparingly use some carbon black and titanium white. The other colors required will be nutmeg, raw umber, chestnut, Payne’s gray, vermillion, and brown earth, as well as matte medium and gloss medium.
Read the rest of this article in Wildfowl Carving Magazine's Summer 2013 issue.