Magpie Mug

Description

I've not painted a wildlife illustration for a while, so I thought I would revisit birds as a theme and maybe build a calendar around them. I chose a magpie to paint because recently when I had the opportunity to observe one more closely I saw that their feathers are full of vibrant colours beneath what is seen as a black and white bird. I wanted to put emphasis on the colours of blues and purples in this piece and reach a high saturation without it looking too false. The background was a last minute addition, originally I intended on leaving it blank, but it looked too empty and simple so I added the coloured splatter which has helped tie the piece together.