How to Paint a Snow Goose

Painting a picture of a goose can make for a wonderful holiday gift.

Geese are a popular subject to paint because of their poise and body shape. Painting snow geese on canvas using acrylic paints is a task that can often take several days to complete, depending on your painting experience. The most difficult task in painting birds is creating realistic appearing feathers, which requires light strokes using a detail and fan brush.

Things You'll Need

• Acrylic paints
• Paint brushes
• Canvas
• Pencil
• Art projector
• Image of snow goose
• Water
• Cup
• Paper towels
• Painting pallet

Instructions

1. Find an image of a snow goose that you would like to use for your painting. Then set up your projector and adjust your canvas to the position you would like your image to be transferred onto. After you are satisfied with the placement, begin lightly tracing the image using a pencil.

2. Pour a glass of clean water and put the paints you are planning to use onto your painting pallet. The main colors you will use for your goose will be black and white. Since snow geese have gray spots, you will need to mix the colors accordingly until you are happy with your color choice. Put the brushes you will be using into your water cup to soften the bristles.

3. Use your colors--white, black, gray and orange for the bill and feet--to fill in the drawing you've made of your goose. Allow the colors to dry completely, which should take less than 10 minutes.

4. Paint over the basic foundation you have previously done. Using different grays, try to add depth and dimension to your work and blend them using a second brush in a light zigzag motion. Wash your brushes in a cup in-between color changes in order to avoid ruining your work. Use a fan brush to add feather textures to your work. Work on your painting until you are satisfied. If at any point you are unhappy with what you have done, simply paint over it. Painting over acrylics can be done easily.

5. Add finishing touches to your work, such as texture. Add highlights to the goose's beak and feet using a lighter orange to accent them. Snow geese have black round eyes that are glossy, so the best way to achieve a natural-looking eye would be to paint a small black circle with a small white dot for a highlight. With a detail brush also make sure to add small feather detailing around the feet and beak around the goose's nose.

References

• John Lovett: paint a bird
• Art Graphica: acrylic painting lesson
• Art Instruction Blog: how to paint feathers