First off, I’d like to thank everyone for all of your e-mails providing me with encouragement and support! I truly appreciate them! 🙂
I have been painting on feathers for almost 7 years now. It is something I truly enjoy and hope to continue doing for years to come. I love being able to push my boundaries with it and seeing what new and exciting pieces I can come up with. I am actually very excited to start my next piece. (I have posted a time lapse video of the whole feather painting process – you can watch it here)
But I will admit there is a lot more to it than grabbing a feather and slapping paint on it. It is a very long and tedious process to clean, prep, store, and carefully paint them. Not to mention, if you want to mount and frame them when they are done – that is a whole other delicate process in itself. Also there are a few legal documents to read and study as to make sure you are following the law accordingly (All feathers are apparently not created equal, as there are some that are illegal to paint on…..but more on that later). Each portrait takes me anywhere from 8-14 hours (sometimes longer) depending on the piece. As they say, “Patience is a virtue.”….and with feather painting, patience is a necessity.
But maybe that is why it feels so rewarding when a painting is complete…there is so much invested into it that you can’t help but feel attached and proud when the project has come to a close.
Having said that, if you are specifically interested in painting on feathers but don’t know where to start (it’s a bit intimidating, I know….), or maybe you have started and it’s not quite working out like you thought it would (it’s a bit frustrating too, I know…) – this post is to assure you that I will be providing feather painting tips and tutorials in the coming days and weeks….after all, it is my specialty. 😉
To get started, please click on any of the sub-categories in the drop down menu under “Feather Painting 101” for more information on that subject. Some categories are currently under construction, but please check back for more updates soon!
Happy Painting!
Brandy Davis