{Metaphorically} Hatching a Gosling - a Step by Step Process

My reference photo, taken a few weeks ago at a nearby farm in the late evening [subdued lighting].

I masked the gosling and did several wet-in-wet graded washes, using aureolin, quin. rose, quin. burnt orange and cobalt clue. This gave me a a soft and glowing grey.

I sponged on some water on the lower left, and drizzled in some aureolin, indanthrone blue and quin. burnt orange. I wanted to create the effect of a cast shadow on the grass without direct painting, to create something a bit different and lively. I used aureolin for the head and neck, and bum and legs, and started working on the bird's feathers with greys and browns made of aureolin, quin. pink and cobalt blue.  

More feathering, and some shadows on the legs, using aureolin, quin. burnt orange and indanthrone to make warm greens. For the beak and eye, I used mixtures on indanthrone with burnt orange and quin. violet. 

I went over the bottom third with aureolin to give a "ground'.

Then did some adjusting of shadows on the left of the bird, and VOILA!
The framable size is just over 7 inches square, and the painting is available on Artfinder.

Now I'm going to do some more painting, and feel sorry for myself. I badly pulled a lower back muscle last week, helping a friend load some huge, full water containers into the back of her car. And yesterday, I was in a car accident, and wrenched [sprained] my wrist, thankfully the left one. But ... ONWARD!

Thank you so much for dropping by!