Best of the Barnyard 3

Artist's Gallery

Proud to Be a Hen

And . . . what do you think of the finished picture? Just a few more highlights on everything finalized the scene nicely. It's a very intense, color-rich picture, to say the least. I learned a couple important lessons on this one. First, darks and lights make all the difference. Always keep them balanced in your painting. Second, keep background objects loose and light. The grass and logs verge on the edge of being more detailed than the hens, and thus distracting from the focal point. Third, chickens are very delicate creatures which require feathery strokes and moderate amounts of paint. This said, I'm still surprised the picture came out as well as it did! And afterward, my art teacher said, again, that I really should become a children's book illustrator!