Lilac-Breasted Roller

Now, that the art and wine faire is over it is back to business, which means catching up on my on-line class with Val Webb, drawing birds.  This colorful little guy is a Lilac-Breasted Roller.  I decided to do a different view of the bird and add a tree for him to rest in.  Working in colored pencil is a much longer process than working in watercolor.  The bird has at least 5 layers of color and the background has 4, including a layer of clear pencil to help blend and smooth the color.  Because the main subject is so colorful I decided to add a simple plain background so that it wouldn't compete with the bird.

Lilac-Breasted Roller

8-1/2" x 10-1/2"

Colored Pencil on Bristol Vellum