30 Birds in 30 Days Preparation
For the 30 birds painting party, you'll need to prepare your birds in advance, trace and transfer and ink them in first, like so, below. Alternatively, scroll beneath and you'll find all my inked in birds (some done more quickly than others; all the detail will be in the painting!) and if you're in a super hurry you can print them off and use them as templates, or even print them off on smooth watercolour paper if your printer will take it and colour them in, during our painting sessions.
For speed, you can print out the bird and rub Conté crayon on the back, or pastel, or loose earth coloured pigment.
2. I use my Ether brush for the transfer itself, here: https://www.theperfectbrush.co.uk/product-page/ether-brush
3. It's hard yet flexible and won't ruin your printout. Alternatively you can use a pencil (but that will ruin your printout or tracing). Or: if you have time, do it the long way, which has its own benefits: trace the image on tracing paper and transfer that with the Conté crayon or using a trace-retrace method by tracing the pencil again on the back, and then right side up again to transfer.
4. Periodically check that the transfer is working and showing up.
5. The whole image is transferred but still vulnerable.
6. You can add a branch if you like!
7. The next step is to ink it in with Sumi or Chinese ink, preferably. Following are my 30 birds, all inked in, for your use:
HOOPOE
2. NIGHTINGALE
3. PARROT
4. NOT PEACOCK, MONAL
5. DUCK
6. PARTRIDGE
7. HOMA
8. HAWK
9. HERON or CRANE
10. OWL (and raven)
11. FINCH
12. FALCON
13. FRANCOLIN
14. PHEASANT
15. PIGEON or DOVE
16. OSTRICH
17. FLAMINGO
18. HUMMINGBIRD
19. BIRD OF PARADISE
20. WOODPECKER
21. LILAC BREASTED ROLLER
22. PELICAN
23. VULTURE
24. THANKSGIVING TURKEY
25. KINGFISHER
26. HEN
27. PEACOCK PHEASANT
28. DIPPER
29. CROWNED CRESTED PIGEON
30. GREEN MAGPIE
Ready to roll!