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MOUNT UP WITH WINGS AS EAGLES
Last updated June 7, 1998 (Eleventh Fire and final fire)

If you've read the Intro  on the eagle, you can click below to go straight to a specific picture of the eagle.  The Eleventh Fire was posted on June 8, 1998.

Plan for the painting
Pen Drawing for the painting
First Fire
Second Fire
Third Fire
Fourth Fire
Fifth Fire
Sixth Fire
Seventh Fire
Eighth Fire
Ninth Fire
Tenth Fire
Eleventh Fire

The Paint Plan

This painting is of an eagle in flight over the backdrop of the Grand Canyon.  This painting is for my daughter, Gina.  At first, I thought to paint  an eagle landing on a nest.   But since my daughter has a specific reason for liking the eagle, a different painting was needed.  I like the tiger for the animal, and its power and grace.   My daughter likes the eagle for what it represents. She has a verse that reflects this:

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall
mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and
they shall walk, and not faint." (Isa 40:31 KJV)

So a more appropriate eagle is a "soaring" eagle in flight. This is why I chose to paint an eagle in flight over the Grand Canyon.

I used a size 12"x16" porcelain tile for this painting.

Click here to see a picture of the plan for the Eagle painting.
(Image Size: 72K)

Pen Drawing of the Eagle

I spent a whole evening laying out the pen drawing of the eagle for the painting.   I first traced from the picture plan, using graphite paper.   Then I went over the most prominent areas (main bushes on the cliff, edge of the cliff and the eagle) with a Stabilo pen.  This is a permanent marking pen (you can also use a Sharpie), fine point, which will fire out when the painting is fired in the kiln.  It is very nice to use for china painting because it makes a very definite outline to follow and yet will fire out on the tile.  I have had experience in the past with these pens whereby a very faint brownish line remained after the firing.   (Keep this in mind if you chose to use the pen and DON'T want ANY line to show after the firing.)

I'm not sure how noticeable it is, but I raised the eagle just a little in relationship to the rest of the scenery.

Click here to see a picture of the Eagle pen drawing.
(Image Size: 87K)

First Fire

  1. I painted a light pink wash on the sky, using Tea Party Pink.  Using a cotton ball and my fingers, I "pushed" some clouds out of the sky.
  2. The distant hills and mesas of the Grand Canyon were painted with Raspberry, using light and dark applications to indicate the structures of these natural formations.
  3. For some of the nearer hills and mesas, I used Golden Red, applied lighter and darker to define the shapes.  Transparency was used on some of the lightest areas of the canyon.  For some of the deepest shadows, especially in the nearest structures, I used Dull Red.
  4. Indian Flesh was used for the large formation at the right edge of the painting.
  5. For the branches which showed through the snow on the trees and bushes, I used Finishing Brown and some Rembrandt Brown.
  6. The shadows in the snow on the large tree/bush at the mid/left side of the painting were depicted with light applications of Dark Blue.  The same color was used for the shadows in the snow on the ground.  After the Dark Blue had been applied for the ground shadows, I used the large blunt end of the large wipeout tool to define the highlights in the shadows and then smoothed these by stroking with my finger.
  7. To define the "clumpiness" of the snow on the tree/bush, I "pushed" openings in the blue with a cotton ball wrapped around my finger.
  8. The eagle and outer wings were painted with Rembrandt Brown.  Dark Blue was used on the inner wings area.
  9. Transparency was used for the eagle's beak and feet/talons.
  10. . I used the smaller end of the large wipeout tool to wipeout clumps of snow on the little scraggly bush on the right side of the picture.
  11. . And that was it for the First Fire.  The tile was fired to cone 16.

By way of explanation, two of the colors I used in this painting, (Tea Party Pink and Raspberry), may be unfamiliar to you.  I recently obtained these from Rose Seivert.   They are from her line of Perfection Paints.  I have to say these are the smoothest paints I have ever used.  They are very finely ground and glide on without any of the grittiness usually associated with pink china paints.  This is not a paid advertisement, but I was so taken with the quality of these colors, that I feel like "telling the world".

Of course, because this is a First Fire, the colors are very light.   Unfortunately, the photo shows the colors even more faded than they actually are.   So keep in mind that the actual colors are more intense than as shown in the image of the First Fire.

You may notice that I did not extend the paint to the edge of the tile.  This is because I am contemplating "scrolling" the Bible verse around the edge of the painting, possibly in Liquid Bright Gold lettering.  I may try this out in Corel Photopaint before I attempt it on the tile.  It will probably be the last thing I do on the painting.

Click here to see the First Fire Painting.
(Image Size 55K)

 

Second Fire

  1. More Tea Party Pink was applied to the sky.
  2. The distant mesas also received another application of Raspberry
  3. Dull Red was used for the deepest shadows of the mesas.
  4. The snow shadows were deepened with Dark Blue
  5. Dull Red was also used for the shadows of the plants in between the snow "clumps"
  6. Golden Red was used in the lighter parts of the nearer mesas, with a little Transparency applied on the top of the mesas  to the middle right of the painting.
  7. The cliff on the right side of the painting was given an application of Yellow Brown
  8. Transparency was again applied to the eagle's beak and talons.
  9. More Rembrandt Brown was applied to the eagle wings and body over the original Rembrandt Brown of the First Fire.   Likewise, more Dark Blue was applied to the inner wings.
  10. .The branches on the bushes were painted again with Finishing Brown
  11. .The highlights on the snow clumps were wiped out, using both the larger and smaller ends of the larger wipeout tool. For the larger snow clumps, and to soften, I also used the pads of my fingers to "push" the highlights out.
  12. That was all for the Second Fire. The tile was fired to Cone 016.

This time I was able to borrow a digital camera, which seems to take better photographs in the lighting of the china painting studio.

Click here to see the Second Fire Painting
(Image Size 60K)

Third Fire

  1. I shaped some of the distant mesas by painting in the horizontal lines and some of the vertical cliff ridges with Dull Red and Violet of Iron.
  2. Violet of Iron was used in some of the deeply shadowed crevices.
  3. More Dull Red was applied on the area in the lower left side of the painting, just past the snow-covered ledge.
  4. The shadows on the snow clumps in the trees were deepened with Dark Blue.
  5. A little Violet of Iron, mixed with Finishing Brown, was used to deepen the shadows of the plants in between  the snow "clumps".
  6. Transparency was again applied to the eagle's beak and talons.
  7. Still more Rembrandt Brown was applied to the eagle wings and body.  More Dark Blue was applied to the inner wings, but this time it was mixed with a touch of Rembrandt Brown - but not enough to hide the blue tint on the wings.
  8. More Finishing Brown was painted on the branches of the bushes.
  9. I tried to be sure that the highlights on the snow on the bushes, remained and did not become muddy.
  10. Using the small  point of the large wipeout tool, I again wiped out the little snow areas on the small bush in the right foreground of the painting.
  11. That was all for the Third Fire. The tile was fired to Cone 016.

Click here to see the Third Fire Painting
(Image Size 44K)

Fourth Fire

  1. Added Mahogany to the deep crevices and gullies, especially on the area in the lower left side of the painting, just past the snow-covered ledge.
  2. Applied Golden Red to the lighter areas of some of the mesas.
  3. Transparency was painted on the lightest areas of the desert.
  4. Yellow Brown was again applied to the mesa on the far right and to some of the surrounding area below.
  5. Rusty Red was used to define shadows on this mesa.
  6. Used Mahogany to shape, and define shadows on, the mesa behind the prominent tree/bush located in the left of center of the painting.
  7. Some Finishing Brown was applied to the eagle wings and body (not too dark). 
  8. Finishing Brown was also applied again on the branches of the bushes and in some of the snow breaks where the bottoms of bushes were indicated.
  9. Any light snow areas were wiped out wherever the paint covered them.  The snow on the small bush in the right foreground of the painting was again wiped out.
  10. Raspberry was applied in the hills of the distant right.  Dark Blue was painted on some of the very distant mesas.
  11. That was all for the Fourth Fire. The tile was fired to Cone 016.

I was not able to borrow the digital camera this week, so the photo of this fire was taken with my Regular Canon SLR camera.  Since I still temporarily only have the use of one hand, my daughter took the picture for me.  As with most of the indoor photos I have taken with the regular camera, this photo is darker than the ones produced with the digital.

Click here to see the Fourth Fire Painting
(Image Size 50K)

Fifth Fire

  1. More Mahogany was added to the lower left area just beyond the snow-covered cliff.
  2. Mahogany was also applied in most of the crevices of the cliffs and mesas.
  3. Transparency was painted in the light area to the left and below the eagle and also to the area below the eagle's tail.
  4. A light wash of Mahogany was applied over the areas where the sand was slanting down off the cliffs.
  5. Golden Red was painted on some of the reddish mesas and cliffs.
  6. A coat of Chocolate Brown was applied on the trunks and branches of the large bushes.
  7. Some lines of Rusty Red were applied to the far right hill to define crevices and ridges.
  8. Violet of Iron was used for some of the deep shadows in the hills and mesas
  9. And that was all for the Fifth fire. The tile was fired to Cone 016.

The photo of the Fifth fire was taken with the digital camera.  With the introduction of this fire, I am adding a picture of the painting without all of the painting information and lines interferring with the painting.  This may make the picture clearer to anyone who is making use of it.

Click here to see the Fifth Fire Painting with Painting Information
(Image Size 48K)

Click here to see the Fifth Fire Painting without Painting Information
(Image Size 25K)

 

Sixth Fire

  1. Cobalt Blue was painted over the already blue color of the shadows on the snowy ledge and on the shadows on the snow clumps of the large bush in the foreground.
  2. Purple was applied for the snow shadows on the upper branches of the bush. (This is Rose Seivert's Purple, a very smooth non-grainy textured paint)
  3. The distant sky was painted with Purple. I worked in some lighter areas with my fingers and a ball of cotton to define cloudiness.
  4. Again, Mahogany was painted in to deepen the crevices of the hills and mesas. I did a little more detail work on several of the hills and mesas to define the ridges and flat areas.
  5. Mahogany was also added to the shadows under the little bush overhangs in the snow openings to give them depth.
  6. The brown eagle wings were painted with Rose's Chocolate Brown. I stroked the paint in a diagonal direction from the outside of the feather edge to the inside all along the wing feather, to give the feather texture on each wing feather. Cobalt Blue was used for the inside bluish wing sections. The brown was dragged into the blue a little to blend the colors where they met.
  7. More Chocolate Brown was applied on the trunks and branches of the large bushes.
  8. More of Rose's Rusty Red was applied to the far right hill, working in detail lines there also to define crevices and ridges.
  9. And that was all for the Sixth fire. The tile was fired to Cone 016.

The photo of the Sixth fire was taken with the digital camera.

Click here to see the Sixth Fire Painting with Painting Information
(Image Size 47K)

Click here to see the Sixth Fire Painting without Painting Information
(Image Size 27K)

Seventh Fire

  1. I applied stripping tape around all the edges of the tile, in about 1/2 inch and extended the painting to this boundary. This was to allow a "border" all around the picture. I have plans to pen the letters of the verse on which the painting is based all around inside this border.
  2. Purple was used for the shadows on the snow of the upper bush on the left.
  3. The snow covered branches on the lower bush were painted with Dark Blue.
  4. A thin wash of Dark Blue was painted over the body and wings of the eagle.
  5. A little Black was added to the eagle's body for shadowing.
  6. Transparency was painted on the eagle's beak with a little Yellow Brown and Golden Red to give it form.
  7. A little Cool Gray was applied to the tail feathers of the eagle.
  8. I painted the talons of the eagle with Yellow Brown, outlining them with Rembrandt Brown.
  9. I applied more Chocolate Brown to the branches of the bushes and filled in most of the open areas in the bushes with "twigs" inbetween the larger branches and foliage.
  10. More Dark Blue was applied for the shadows on the snow bank.The photo of the Sixth fire was taken with the digital camera.
  11. More Mahogany was painted to define the deep crevices in the cliffs.
  12. Golden Red was painted on some of the mesas in the background.
  13. Yellow Brown was again painted on the hill at the right edge of the painting, using Rusty Red to define the surface ledges of the hillside.
  14. I painted Dark Blue on the hill behind the upper bush and Dark Blue with Purple in the distant sky.
  15. And that was all for the 7th Fire. The tile was fired to cone 16.

Click here to see the Seventh Fire Painting with Painting Information
(Image Size 51K)

Click here to see the Seventh Fire Painting without Painting Information
(Image Size 26K)

 

Eighth Fire

  1. I applied a lot of Dark Blue on the snow covering the leaves of the lower bush.
  2. Purple with some Cobalt Blue was applied for the shadows on the snow on the upper bush.
  3. I painted in more small twig branches in the bushes using Chocolate Brown and Rembrandt Brown.
  4. Then I painted in the area where these twigs were with a lot of Purple to make the shadowed areas recede.
  5. Dark Blue and Cobalt Blue were applied to darken the shadows on the snow covered cliff.
  6. The eagle's wings were painted in Chocolate Brown.
  7. Using a fine liner brush, I outlined the eye of the eagle with Chocolate Brown.
  8. Cobalt Blue was painted in the darker areas of the distant skyline
  9. I marked the distant mesas and cliffs with lines, using Purple. This to define the ridges.
  10. In the sky behind the upper large bush, I painted Raspberry to better define the white and light snow areas on the bush.
  11. A Purple wash was applied to the large hill behind the upper bush and darker Purple lines were painted on to define the ridges on the hill.
  12. And that was all for the 8th Fire. The tile was fired to Cone 16.

Click here to see the Eighth Fire Painting with Painting Information
(Image Size 41K)

Click here to see the Eighth Fire Painting without Painting Information
(Image Size 36K)

Ninth Fire

  1. Mahogany was applied in the shadow areas of the mesas out in the canyons.
  2. The shadows were deepened in the crevices between the snow clumps on the lower branch with Mahogany.
  3. Rusty Red was applied to the cliffs on the left side of the painting.
  4. The shadows on the hill behind the taller bush were filled in with Mahogany.
  5. The lower horizon in the distance was painted with Purple Punch.
  6. A wash of Dark Blue was put on the eagle wings and body.
  7. Yellow Brown with some Rusty Red was painted on the right hillside.
  8. Chocolate Brown was used on the tree branches.
  9. The smaller wipeout tool was used to wipe out the snow on the small bush to the right of the painting.
  10. A little Rusty Red and Mahogany were used on some of the lighter areas of mesas in the center of the picture.
  11. And that was all for the 9th Fire. The tile was fired to Cone 16.

Click here to see the Ninth Fire Painting with Painting Information
(Image Size 45K)

Click here to see the Ninth Fire Painting without Painting Information
(Image Size 39K)

Tenth Fire

  1. A wash of Dark Blue was applied to the mesas and shadows on the left side of the painting, just past the snow covered cliff.
  2. The shadows on the snow on the cliff were painted over with more Dark Blue. Then Purple Punch, Dark Blue and Black was used in the deepest shadows under the lower bushes on each side of the painting.
  3. More Rusty Red was applied to the cliffs in the distance on the left side of the painting.
  4. Rusty Red was painted on the hill behind the taller bush.
  5. Some of the mesas in the middle of the painting were also painted with Rusty Red.
  6. The distant hills were painted with Purple Punch.
  7. Mahogany was applied to further define shadows in various areas in the canyon.
  8. Violet of Iron was used in the shadow areas in the left mesas out past the snow-covered cliff.
  9. The smaller wipeout tool was used to wipe out the snow on the small bush to the right of the painting.
  10. The smaller wipeout tool was used to make little grass strokes on the right side foreground.
  11. Chocolate Brown, mixed with Black was painted over the eagle body and wings.
  12. And that was all for the 10th Fire. The tile was fired to Cone 16.

Click here to see the Tenth Fire Painting with Painting Information
(Image Size 47K)

Click here to see the Tenth Fire Painting without Painting Information
(Image Size 39K)

Eleventh Fire

  1. I applied Raspberry to the hill area behind and below the eagle, using the edge of the brush to make ridge lines.
  2. A light wash of Purple Punch was applied to the snow shadow areas of the small bush on the right side of the painting.
  3. More Rusty Red was applied to the cliffs in the distance on the left side of the painting.
  4. Raspberry was again painted on the sky area behind the upper bush on the left side of the painting, to better define the outline of the bush.
  5. Purple was applied to the snow shadows of the upper left bush.
  6. Purple Punch was also applied to the deep shadows in the ravine on the right side of the painting. Then I used the small wipeout tool to create grass blades along the ravine.
  7. The distant skyline was further defined with an application of Purple Punch.
  8. More grass blades were defined (among the wipe-out grass), using Hair Brown.
  9. Rich Brown was applied to the bare branch on the far right of the painting.
  10. Violet of Iron was painted on the small bush in the right side of the painting. Then the small wipeout tool was used to wipe out the snow "clumps" on this bush.
  11. I then signed the painting (using Purple) and called it finished.
  12. And that was all for the 11th and final Fire. The tile was fired to Cone 16.

Click here to see the Eleventh Fire Painting with Painting Information
(Image Size 47K)

Click here to see the Eleventh Fire Painting without Painting Information
(Image Size 39K)

I apologize for the long delay in getting this Eleventh Fire of the Eagle on my web site. I have been kept pretty busy with the new online porcelain website, Porcelain Painters International Online (http:/www.porcelainpainters.com).

I am having the Eagle painting framed, for entry into the Orange County Fair, and then I will present it to my daughter.

I have been painting on the macaw, which I mentioned earlier. A printing from the photo for this macaw was emailed to me from Paul Grothe, the husband of Betty Grothe, whose paintings were added to this site on the Other China Painter's page about a month ago.    The original photograph is from the site of Michael's photo gallery at http://www.netaxs.com/~mhmyers/image.html   The macaw photo is on the page link for Bird Telephotos - Parrots, and is the first bird photo on the Parrots page.  The direct link to that Parrots page is  http://www.netaxs.com/~mhmyers/parrot.tn.html

This is a very nice site to see many bird pictures.  Michael takes the photos himself and also has other interesting photos on the site, not related to birds.

I had thought to post the Macaw painting to the Step-By-Step pages, but it is just not possible for me to do this and work on the planned features of the Porcelain Painters' web site.

I will leave the three Step-By-Step paintings on the Step-By-Step pages, for those who may not have seen them before.   And, when I have completed the painting of the Macaw, I will be posting a picture of the finished painting on My Paintings page on this web site.

I thank all of those who have sent me email to tell me of their enjoyment in following the painting steps of these paintings.   I invite you to check the Porcelain Painters Intenational Online (PPIO) site regularly, as we plan to feature online classes on that site in the near future.

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