Final result.
I had a recent request for a commission by a friend who wanted me to copy a painting by Mark Tortorella...but I didn't want to just copy someone else's work. But after some heavy thinking, I came up with a solution that would satisfy both of us: I'd make a 3D version of the painting.
The idea of taking a 2D image (intended to fool the eye into thinking it's 3D) and making a 3D version of it was too fun to pass up. And now you're looking at a 2D version of my 3D results! The circle is complete!
Closer view.
My bird is only a close approximation of the one in the painting, my primary goal being realism rather than copying exactly what was in the original version (it's like maybe 95% like the painting, but closer to 100% realistic).
I really like the bittersweet idea that even in death, this little sparrow is still capable of making something as beautiful and hopeful as an image of a rainbow. It's a lovely concept and it's executed exquisitely by Tortorella.
Starting point.
I knew I'd be customizing some kind of store-bought bird (I didn't expect to find an exact match) so the fact that this little guy from a craft store was the wrong colour wasn't an issue; the important thing was its size and shape were perfect for this project.
Primer.
The body was made of foam and the beak, eyes, and legs were plastic and all of it needed to be painted. I used black primer to provide some shadows in advance since the new colours I'd be adding would be rather light. I bent one of the legs to match the painting.
More paint and wings.
Here I've started airbrushing some light greys and a bit of buff for colour. I made the wings out of Bristol board, cut to the shape of the wings of the bird in the source painting. The backside of the bird (and wings) wouldn't be seen, so there was no need to add paint/detail there.
Workbench view.
As the feathering progressed, it looked more and more like I had an actual little dead bird on my workbench. That didn't bother me, but I was surprised that I did a double-take each time I glanced in that direction.
On the far left is the bag of feathers (pheasant, I think) that I used in various ways to bulk up the bird. I used the canopy glue (with the long applicator that's near the bird) to attach most of the feathers and superglue for the rest.
It was a tedious, finicky, and sometimes frustrating process, but I felt it was the best way and, as you can see, it worked out as well as I could have hoped.
Almost there...
The body is covered in fine vanes cut from the shaft and placed carefully with tweezers and attached with glue. I started at the bottom and worked my way up to the head. The feathers on the wings were ends trimmed to take advantage of the more colourful parts.
I dry brushed the legs with a bit of brown to break up the black and give it some dimension. I used Pledge floor wax to get that nice shine in the eye. I used a bit of it on the beak, too, but it wasn't as important for the beak to be glossy.
Test-fitting.
As the bird neared completion, it was time to replicate the chalk circle/rainbow. I made a few circles in light pencil using a compass, keeping them in proportion to the bird, then freehanded the rest. I installed a screw which went through the entire assembly (Bristol board on top (glued to thick cardboard), then the foam and backboard which came with the shadow box). I clipped the protruding bit of the screw and I was confident that what remained would be secure.
Final layout.
The pastels I had were way too fat compared to the ones in the painting and, even though I wore them down to a smaller size, they were still too big. Attaching them to the string with superglue was a tricky enough process that I was just happy to have them all there, even though they wouldn't be able to make those circles if spun around. If this was a deal-breaker with the commissioner I'd re-do the circles to conform to the arrangement of pastels, but she was okay with it. Considering the difficulty of this last stage (and the need to keep that white surface pristine while handling powdery chalk pastels) I think "close enough" was good enough.
In the shadow box.
The bird is glued down to the paper so it's not going anywhere, but the pastels, while glued to the string, are free to move and wobble and mark up the paper...and that's okay. In all, this looks pretty great in the shadow box; very "finished."
Before and after.
And for kicks, here's a neat little B&A of the star of the show, the little dead sparrow.
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