Painting Short-Eared Owls: My Full Process from Orange Ground to Fine Detail

Welcome to my channel! My name is Kristi Bird, and I’m a wildlife and landscape painter based north of Kingston. In today’s video, I’m sharing the creation of a large 24" x 36" acrylic painting featuring two beautiful Short-Eared Owls in a winter landscape.

I’ve sped up many hours of work into this one-hour demonstration to show you my entire process—from the initial "orange ground" wash to the final fine details. You’ll see how I navigate the challenges of pencil smudging, how I use a limited palette to create depth, and why I love playing with warm and cool tones to make a painting "glow."

In this video, I discuss:

The Orange Ground: Why I start with a thin wash of orange to create an inner glow.

Composition: How I adjusted the reference photo to create a more impactful focal point.

Brushwork: My favorite "scruffy" Filbert brushes and why I rarely use a fine liner until the very end.

Color Theory: Mixing ultramarine blue, burnt umber, and different whites to achieve realistic snow and shadow.

Atmospheric Perspective: Techniques for pushing the background back and pulling the foreground owl forward.

I am still learning the ropes of video editing, so thank you for bearing with me as I grow this channel! I hope this look into my process is helpful for fellow artists and bird lovers alike.

Let’s Connect! If there are specific techniques or "close-up" tutorials you’d like to see in the future, please let me know in the comments below!

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