Shoebill Heron

“Man can only become what he is able to consciously imagine.”
– Dane Rudhyar

Shoebill Heron

5″ x 7″Inktense & Watercolor

I had the best time this weekend. Our WetCanvas All Media Art Events (AMAE) Weekend Drawing Event (WDE) was hosted by Just Chaos. Chaos is a truely gifted photographer. The set of photos we painted from can be found on her Flickr page. Unless otherwise noted, Chaos’ photos on Flickr are covered by creative commons. You can read more about that here.

This guy is a mean, three and a half foot Shoebill Heron. I made him a little less threatening and had a wonderful time. I started by drawing him with Derwent Inktense pencils. I used them because the colors are great and because once you wet them, they become very intense (if you lay it down thick) and once dry, they become permanent. Unlike typical watercolor or watercolor pencils, the paint cannot be lifted or blended, once it is dry. No danger of mud when you add other colors on top. The original layer stays put.

I used a little white watercolor on my brush when I wet the Inktense, so the colors became creamy and rich, but once dry, the color would not be disturbed. You can add color on top of it or around it, without disturbing the original blend. Does that make sense? Fun!

He was the first of six paintings I did from Chaos’ photos, and I have two more saved to paint.

About Dane Rudhyar

Dane Rudhyar was a respected modernist composer as well as a pioneering modern psychological astrologer. He was born in Paris in 1895 as Daniel Chennevière and immigrated to the United States in the early 1900’s. His music utilizes dissonant harmony; he claimed to be inspired by the cadence of speech. His work influenced a group of composers known as the ultramodernists. He also wrote a number of astrology books, including the seminal Astrology of Personality. He died in 1985.