Painting a Mandarin Duck
In the midst of my move out of New York, my dad texted me requesting I paint one of the ducks he photographed for his birthday present.
Of course, I obliged. Even when the duck in question was a mandarin duck. Aka, one of the most flamboyant and intricate ducks on the planet.
No pressure, right?
Here's a look into the process!
Reference/Sketching
Fortunately for me, a direct reference was provided. The photograph my dad took on one of his many bird-watching excursions in Korea. If you're not familiar with the species, you can see what I was dealing with here:
See what I mean? Not only does this duck have multiple colors, unique feathers, varying textures, patterns, lines, and iridescence, but I would have to paint this TWICE because of the REFLECTION. Definitely a tall order.
First thing's first though, I needed to practice actually drawing the duck. With my dad being the duck enthusiast he is, I knew I needed to get even the smallest details correct. He once critiqued a painting I did of a pintail because the beak and head shape wasn't exact.
These were the sketches I did. If you're familiar with my Drunk Animal Drawing series, you can see I broke this bad boy down into his Basic Shapes. Truly an art hack like no other. The first sketch I used those basic shapes to figure out how the bird's anatomy and colors fit together, especially compared to my mental "duck" template (you may be able to vaguely make out a couple lines of a duck-ish shape I drew in as an initial foundation before blocking out the rest).
The second sketch was a study of the head, where I really tried to nail the head shape, especially that slope from the forehead to the beak, as well as the beak shape. Figuring out how the cheek feathers connected, as well as the white lines into the back of the head were also helpful, as well as remembering to take note of the "invisible" white outline around the eye.
Finally we have the more refined sketch. I was more comfortable drawing the duck at this point and wanted to get the rest of those details in, as well as figure out the composition as well and how to treat the water and reflection. I blocked out some of the more obvious shadows as well. By this point I was ready to create the final sketch on the watercolor paper.
Those cheek feathers were definitely difficult, as I didn't want it to look like hair, and it's such an iconic part of the duck. As for the reflection, I did a rough sketch, and then took an erase and roughly scrubbed it across the drawing to keep it lighter and also add to that water ripple effect pre-emptively. I also adjusted the taping to better center the overall composition, since I found the original taping set the duck too high in the frame. And now, it was time for:
Painting
I started with the main duck, adding a few touches of reciprocating color to the reflection. For these initial patches, I used mostly wet on wet washes, specifically on the broad orange feathers and parts of the head. I wanted that smooth gradation in those wing feathers, which I knew a wet-on-wet could provide, if I worked fast enough. It was definitely crucial for blending the face from orange into yellow then white. I also painted the beak and went ahead to add shading and texture on the chest feathers.
I continued adding to the base of the main duck, blocking in all the color. I painted in the chest in the relfection with a bluer and duller purple, being mindful of the water streams. You can see I started refining the face more, and was prepping those cheek feathers for another wash.
At this point, the duck and its reflection are finished. I used a thin brush and used single lines to indicate the sharp shadows of the cheek feathers while still meshing well with the rest of the duck. I'll admit, I was a bit scared to introduce more contrast into those feathers than I did. Maybe one day I'll try different techniques for these feathers in a 0-pressure scenario, but I just really didn't want to make a decision that would ruin the painting and force me to start over, so I was playing it safe. For the reflection, I used more muted colors overall. It was now time for the water!
And here's the water! I tried putting in a broad wash, to varying degrees of success. I think the water is a bit more textured than I would have liked, but to get the smooth wash I most likely would've needed to mask out the duck and reflection before I painted them, and I just didn't have my masking fluid with me (nor am I totally convinced I like the brand I have either). So instead I needed to just be very careful with my brush haha. I mixed a few different blues for this, but looking back I wish I had mixed a little more of my turquoise in for a brighter and warmer blue. Nevertheless, I think it still works. I did a very light wash over the reflection to give a blue tint. Then I went in with a dryer and darker brush for the water, basically noodling that around.
And now we have the full painting, post-tape removal!
Overall, this was probably one of the most challenging subjects I've ever painted, but I think it turned out well, and my dad was definitely pleased. I think it definitely comes together from a distance, but even up close I think it works. Definitely a very pretty duck! I think its little pink beak is my favorite. Still have yet to see one of these in the wild, but I'm looking forward to it.
I hope you enjoyed seeing the process behind this painting!