Ferruginous Hawk Print and Greeting Card

I, for one, had to look up what "ferruginous" meant. And apparently it has to do with the rusty coloration of the birds feathers, which is derived from ferrous, meaning iron. 

So a Ferruginous Hawk is an allusion to the rusty iron red hue of its plumage. 

Yeah. The more you know, right? 

Didn't keep me from drawing one, though. I started researching and fell in love with its appearance. I was fascinated with their gray eyes. Usually, the birds I'd drawn had eyes that contrasted with their feathers, but this one had eyes that melded into its natural hues. And once I found a lovely image to purchase (from WildlifeReferencePhotos.com) I knew I had to paint this bird. 

I'm becoming less scared to draw birds with outstretched wings in flight. There's just so much detail in them that I have always been daunted trying to capture it. With a little bird perched on a branch I've always felt much more "humble", and in turn more capable of being able to capture a bird's essence (in some ways). But with birds in flight or lifting their wings, I was a bit scared of even attempting to paint them at all. There's a majesty about birds in flight, and epic quality that especially becomes apparent in raptors or birds of prey. I was put off by trying to "go big". 

But I've been trying it more and more, and I feel like my process now lends itself to both the small and intimately quiet qualities of small birds as well as the grandeur of the flight of larger birds. It has opened a lot of possibilities for me. 

It has also been teaching me that I can't be incredibly precious with accuracy. I think sometimes the emotional feelings communicated with the image are more important than the scientific specificity of relating anatomical fact. I'm realizing I can suggest a bird without replicating a bird (and by extension any subject for that matter). Doing birds in flight has helped me figure out that I need to rely upon a person's heart-connection to the piece instead of their brain-connection. I'm not doing scientific illustration. I don't want to do that. 

The spiritual, fantastical, magical aspects of these bird pieces can rise to the fore sometimes. And sometimes, accuracy can drive the picture. There's room for both. 

This piece is available as a limited edition, 11x17", signed and numbered giclée print as well as a 5x7" greeting card. 

Here's the speedpaint video of its creation using Procreate on my iPad Pro: