Art Journal: Uniquely Talented, like the Ostrich

I love drawing and painting ostriches. They are such unique creatures, as they are all bird, yet no flight. I was pondering this idea today, when it occurred to me that I could do a page on this for my art journal. I share the simple steps for drawing the ostrich with you and then take a passage from the book of Job to reinforce the sentiments I had been toying with in my mind throughout the day.

Start on black paper, with a white charcoal pencil. Mine was manufactured by Derwent.

Draw the head of the ostrich.

Draw the neck and legs of the ostrich.

Fill in the body and wings of the bird.

I use a mixture of pastels and charcoal to colour the face. The paint pen is used to put the white reflections in the eyes.

I continue with the mixture of charcoal and pastel pencils when I paint the neck, face and body of the ostrich.

As I am working on a black background, I opt to  use Indigo to colour the 'black' feathers on the ostrich's back. The 'white' feathers is actually painted in grey. Once again, I use charcoal to add shadows.

I use three shades of green to paint the grasses on the ground.

Now it is time to spray a fixative on the painting to prevent it from smudging.

I then use the white paint marker to write out a passage from Job 39:16-21 (Job 39:13-18 in the NIV).
“The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
    though they cannot compare
    with the wings and feathers of the stork.
14 She lays her eggs on the ground
    and lets them warm in the sand,
15 unmindful that a foot may crush them,
    that some wild animal may trample them.
16 She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers;
    she cares not that her labor was in vain,
17 for God did not endow her with wisdom
    or give her a share of good sense.
18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
    she laughs at horse and rider."

I also wrote my own little comment at the bottom of the page:
"We were not all of us blessed with the same talents, yet we each have an area within ourselves in which we excel and kick dust in other people's faces. - Miekie."

You can also follow the steps for this project in a short compilation video that I put together for you here: https://youtu.be/IuccKGzK1LQ

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
You may prefer to follow the traveling blog, A Pretty Tourist.
For more crafty ideas and great product reviews, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
If you are in a literary mood, follow Miekie's musings, stories and poetry on A Pretty Author - Miekie.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making life PRETTY.
You can subscribe to any of these blogs and receive regular updates by email. Simply register your email address at the top of the applicable blog.