Blue Jay ~ "Songbirds & Friends" ~ Watercolor Songbirds & Friends building the complex white-and-dark plumage

building the complex white-and-dark plumage through layered dry strokes that create physical texture on the paper's surface

The Kyoto pigments are made from natural ingredients — oyster shells

This second study allowed me to push the tonal range further — deeper shadows

which creates one of the most graphic patterns in the songbird world

I've painted herons my entire career

Blue Jay ~ "Songbirds & Friends" ~ Watercolor Songbirds & Friends building the complex white-and-dark plumageThis blue jay watercolor painting captures the loudest personality in any backyard. Blue jays are bold, intelligent, and entirely unapologetic about taking up space. They mimic hawk calls to scare other birds away from feeders. They cache thousands of acorns. They travel in noisy family groups and announce themselves before they arrive. This painting catches that confident, unmissable energy. I painted this freehand on archival cotton rag paper using