I have always enjoyed getting gimpses of what have been for me our more elusive uk birds, including goldcrests, bullfinches, redwings, nuthatches, woodpeckers, lapwings, and many others, yet I become especially excited at seeing birds of prey, of which my favourite has to be the Red Kite.

For some of these paintings I have used block poster paints, the kind used at school. I’m never so sure what to call them, whether they are technically gouache paints or not.

The painting of the Red Kite above was taken from a photo from an RSPB magazine, painted with block poster paint, A3 size.
The Kestrel, Tawny Owl and Pheasant, below, were based on calendar illustrations by Terrence James Bond. The Red Kite in the center was taken from a photograph and painted in a similar style to the Terrence Bond paintings.

Below: The painting of the cock pheasant ended up over the fireplace in a Gamekeeper’s Lodge, and I was asked to paint a female pheasant in the same style to make a matching pair.

The green woodpecker, below, has been painted using acrylics and using a palette knife for the bark texture. It was painted to compliment cameos of photos.

Below, a bluetit, using the block poster paint, again painted for use with cameo images.