I had the idea for this painting for over a year before I started the oil painting. The idea first came to we when I was brainstorming ideas for a new greeting card range which you can read about here. I wanted to experiment with visual puns of native New Zealand birds interacting with objects that might play on their names. E.g. a Kiwi bird eating a Kiwifruit.
When it came to the loveable Pīwakawaka or Fantail I first played with the idea of a fantail on the power cord (the tail) of an electric fan. I drew the idea up but it didn’t look as endearing as I had hoped.
The first attempt for the fantail card artwork.
I decided my visual pun was a bit obscure, so it was back to the drawing board. Then it came to me. A Pīwakawaka on a waka! Perfect! I had to bring this to life! I drew up the idea in ink and wash which was the medium I had done with all the other artwork for the greeting card range. I loved it!
Framed original sketch. Available for purchase here.
The final greeting card. Purchase cards here.
First full colour layer.
Second layer. You will notice the change in blues. I felt the scene was more balanced with the deeper blue.
I could have stopped here. But I knew I could take it further with the feathers and the water.
The sketch vs the painting.
I really felt I had brought this character to life with the attention to detail in the oils. When the Pīwakawaka was so realistic it made the viewer question - they was it so big yet it looks so real? My question is - would the viewer connect with the bird as much if I hadn’t played with the scale? If it was true to size on the boat I am the bird would be overlooked in the scene.
What amazed me was that the playing with scale didn’t feel out of place in the sketch, but it did with the oils. It was fun to play with the surreal nature of this scene and I am already planning more in my head!
I am very proud of the final piece.