Parrot Study in Watercolor

I have to take a break from the Hens and Chicks painting for several reasons, but I wanted to share the progress of a painting I did with my students recently in class.
One of my students requested that we paint a bird. I had visited the Brevard County Zoo this fall with my step daughter and took lots of great photos! One photo was of two large parakeets. I thought this would be a fun, colorful subject as well as a great way to teach some wet-in-wet watercolor techniques, and "charging" techniques.
Our first step was to apply the drawing that I provided onto the 10 by 14 inch arches watercolor paper. We used 140 lb.
Then, we applied water to the entire background area and added lots of color: Aureolin Yellow, Sap Green, Hookers Green, Perylene Green and a touch of Burnt Sienna. We deliberately added the darker colors to the bottom to add weight and the impression of dense foliage.
Stop back soon for another update! If you would like to follow along with your own painting, send me an email (below) and I will post the reference material on my etsy site. (http://watercolorgirl.etsy.com) When you pay the $5.00 through Paypal, I will send the drawing and photo reference to you so you can paint along!
debbie@watercolorworksart.com