a little bird watching

The Bird Watcher has its roots back in a weird drawing I did in college (below) of a troll with wings and a top hat. I always liked it and just wanted to do something with it again.
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So, another doodle. There was a lot of these but this was the most... appropriate. I think.


And then the drawing to scan.


And this is where you will just have to believe. I don't have a file with the layers, so, oh well. just believe it. Geez. It was probably just mostly a lot of Normal and Multiply with some Softlight for color. Plus a beard.


Adding shadows w/Multiply... Notice Justin wearing the hat reference.


and the face. boo.


Here's some softlight of yellow on the right for some sunny joy and some blue on the left for... whatever.


more shadows w/Multiply..... plus a probably a little line drawing.


and.......... why not.


Now, more reference. Notice too that I make the canvas really wide for... whatever reason. I just do. In any case I can put my reference on there and pull colors if I like.


Working on the arm with Multiply...


Painting the folds in the sleeve here, with a layer of Normal.


And tightening things up, w/Normal. Basically just drawing over things till I like it.


don't freak out. the hat is about to change. I use the Liquify tool from time to time.


Hat + scarf.


And highlights on the scarf....


Just the sky. I wanted it to go from warm to cool, added on a Normal layer. And the bricks were probably a lot of layers of Normal.


HIGHLIGHT on the rim of the hat. For me it is moments like this that make everything worth it.


BLAM- we got shoulder bird. Just careful brushing and some various layers of Normal and Softlight.


I like to do a color w/Multiply over it sometimes because it seems to hold things together.


Darks in Normal.


Screen in some highlights unless you are that guy who can't handle it.


Just cleaning up w/Normal


Yellow bushes... put there with Normal, and darkened with Multiply.


Screen in the blue in the sky (unless....)


KABLAM~ and there was dark.


And then, just a textured sky. And a city. Oh yeah, and I did the wings. Again, probably just a lot of Normal and Softlight with a textured brush.


The Bird Watcher.