Western Bluebird Pattern

This excerpt is taken from the latest Wildfowl Carving Book Club title, Best of Painting Notes: 22 Bird Carving Patterns, Color Guides, and Tutorials by Jerry Poindexter.

The Western bluebird (Sialia mexicana) measures between 5 ½ and 7 inches in length, and differs from the Eastern bluebird in that the Western male has a blue throat and chestnut upper back and scapulars (although the color is sometimes absent from the scapulars). The breast is browner than those of other bluebirds. Although the Western and Eastern bluebird areas can overlap, they exclude each other from their territories.

Having properly sealed your carving with 50% lacquer and 50% lacquer sealer and allowed it to dry, apply white gesso so the blue colors to be applied will stand out.

Credit: PRANAV TADEPALLI/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

MEASUREMENTS (in mm)

1. Head: Apply equal parts ultramarine blue and cobalt blue hue in several washes to achieve a rich blue base color. When dry, apply a watery wash of phthalo blue. Wash the lores (tiny feathers in front of the eye) with ivory black to darken.
   
2. Bill and feet: Apply equal parts ultramarine blue and ivory black. When dry, wash with ivory black and matte varnish.
   
3. Upper-tail feathers, rump, and Upper-tail coverts: Add a touch of phthalo blue to cerulean blue and apply in washes. When dry, wash with ultramarine blue. When this is dry use equal parts ultramarine blue and ivory black to darken the ends and inner webs of the upper-tail feathers. When dry, apply a very thin edge to the tail feathers with thinned gesso.
4. Primaries, secondaries, tertials, greater coverts, primary coverts, median coverts, and the alulae: Apply washes of equal parts ultramarine blue and cobalt blue hue. Note that the base of the primary feathers is cerulean blue with a touch of phthalo blue. Set aside the base color of ultramarine blue and cobalt blue hue and add a touch of alizarine crimson and wash in thin applications onto the leading edges of the primaries, secondaries, tertials, primary coverts, and the alulae. The inner webs of the primary, secondary, and tertial feathers have dark webs of equal parts ultramarine blue and ivory black. The primary coverts and alulae have darkened tips. Apply in light washes at first then darken from the ends of the feathers toward their bases with added applications. Use thinned gesso to make the very thin inner edge on the tertials, secondaries, and primaries.
5. Back, scapulars, breast, and flanks: Good reference is going to be most helpful here because this color is often missing in the back area. Apply washes of the base color of two parts burnt sienna and one part raw sienna. When dry, add a touch of burnt umber to above mixture and apply randomly to the chestnut-colored area.
   
6. Belly and lower-tail coverts: Use one part ultramarine blue and one part burnt sienna with four parts gesso to make a pale gray to blend from the breast to the belly and into the flank area. Wash the lower-tail coverts lightly with ultra-marine blue bordered on the outer edges by this pale gray.
   
7. Lower-tail feathers: Pull aside some of the cerulean blue with a touch of phthalo blue mixture and add a touch of raw umber, and then apply a couple of washes to the lower-tail feathers. When dry, add equal parts of ultramarine blue and ivory black in thin washes to the inner webs and ends. Let dry and then wash the outer web and area of the quill with ultramarine blue.