June Challenge (Patreon)

Hi everyone,

Thank you to everyone who painted the lily last month – I really enjoyed seeing your interpretations.

This month’s challenge is a bit different – I’ve chosen a chicken! 🐔

Our neighbours’ chooks are always wandering over to our place (I think they like our garden better than theirs), and they hang around most of the day. I took a few photos of them one afternoon, and this one seemed perfect for the challenge.

It’s a great subject to practise soft feather textures, contrast, and getting expression into a simple portrait. You can go realistic or stylised – whatever suits your mood.

If I were painting it, I’d probably use greys and violets for the white feathers, but keep most of the colour concentrated near the head. I’d let the rest of it fade out or even drip down the paper, and not worry too much about detail in the lower feathers.

I’ve also included a photo of a rooster head I painted in my journal – it’s a similar pose and might help when you’re working on the comb and wattle.

As always, you’ll find the line drawing and reference photo below. When you’re finished, I’d love to see your painting in the Patreon chat, Facebook group or Discord!

Happy painting,

Louise