painting question for cardinal

[errol]

well, I got the cardinal ready to paint, just made his feet, and need to ask a question since this is my 1st cardinal. I notice in my reference material that the wings, and back are off red color, seems a little blackish. anyone know the mixture for the wings and back of the red bird? thanks for any infoMotorcycle

[Paul_Guraedy]

You have a beautifully carved piece. I would not rush into the painting. Do your research just as you must have done prior to carving.

A couple of sources of information:

WCI Issue 2 has an article on painting the cardinal. This issue is still listed as not sold out.

Bob Guge has a book out on "Painting the North American Cardinal."

I have carved several cardinals in the form of Christmas ornaments. The red is not nearly as bright as the imagination pictures them and there is a lot more gray on the bird than you would think.

Errol, I have both of the above references in my library. If you cannot locate or cannot wait on acquiring these, I will be happy to work with you through the private message system. I do not feel comfortable on posting direct information from them on a public forum other than in book review form (this is the author's privilege).

Good luck on finishing your carving.

[Claude]

The wings and back of the male cardinal look to me as if they have a very thin blue wash over top the red... This is also what the real ones that nested out in front of my home look like to me. Try it on a scrap and see what you think, compared to your references.

Claude