Starting the nuthatch artwork

This will be the artwork of a nuthatch taking of a branch. I did a little sketching on the canvas to have everything correctly in place. This artwork will be 12"x12" done in watercolour on stretched canvas. Early in the year I took the reference photographs at some scenic fluvial topography of the danube river which runs directly through Viennas City, where I live. The nuthatch artwork will be part of a series of artworks which I will paint to illustrate a magazines article about wildlife in a city. There is a lot of wildlife in big cities, much more than you would expect. Have a look at places with water, like ponds in parks or riversides. Watching wildlife is a fantastic thing to do. Sometimes you only have to stand still and wait some time until everything around you has settled. The animals will go back to their daily business and you will have the great chance to watch.

The Beginning -let's start with a white canvas ...

... the greatest fear of many artists. I've never had a problem with that, it is more excitement and curiosity for what is coming than the great fear to fail ... but let's go back a little further. I'm most comfortable to stretch and prime my own canvas, it is sort of "pulling all the strings" and not leaving anything to chance. I use a heavy, very smooth and fine woven canvas as I paint in watercolours on canvas and need a surface that is as even as possible.

So this is the complete artists business from the first thought about a motive, research, taking photos, choose what and how I will paint, decide about the size of my artwork, over putting together the stretcher frame, stretching the canvas, prime it with gesso, let it dry and then do the first stroke of the brush, work the way over the whole canvas to the last stroke of the brush, fix it, give it a name, a frame, and a signature ...