Watercolor on Arches watercolor paper, 7.5 x 11 inches
(To enlarge, please click image, select “All Sizes”)
This seagull sat on the post by the boat while we dined on Saturday evening. I thought it was curious that this guy would just sit there, only a few feet away, watching us. Then someone threw a bean from their salad off the boat and Mr. Seagull was on it in a second. I threw him a couple more beans for fun until Cody pointed out that now the poor bird would get gas so we stopped throwing him beans.
The picture above is the final painting. The one below is pre-painting in the background. I always seem to prefer a white background, but the sky was so blue in the photo I just had to paint it. Which do you prefer?
Same painting before sky painted in.
(To enlarge, please click image, select “All Sizes”)
Jana Bouc, Artist 
22 replies on “Seagull (Everyday Matters #90 – Things with wings)”
Very nice, Jana. The reflected light on the breast is especially delicately done. A very smooth sky wash too!
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Jana, I like the blue background! You did such an excellent job with him!!! He is beautiful!
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wow these colours are incredible; but i really like the eye, so alert, exactly as those crazy gulls are
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Great painting. I like the one with the blue background – it tells more of the story. My father once just reached out and snatched a seagull like this by its shoulders – it was very surprised and stood a little further awa y after he released it.
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Hi Jana!! Oh definitely the blue background! It just sets off that luscious job you did on the gull — from the white to the lavender shadows — sublime and superb!!! BRAVA!!!!
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I really like both, but if I had to choose…probably the one with the white background. I think the blues and purples of the shadows pop out more against the white…and I like that little bit of mystery it leaves to the rest of the scene.
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This is beautiful. I prefer the blue background. I love the reflected light/color on his breast.
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Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!! Absolutely beautiful! I love them both but the sky is so striking–it is my favorite.
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I like the white. the pigment is starting to pool around the bird creating a harsh outline. It sucks the bird into the background and the white lets the subject stay in the foreground.
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Hi Jana,
Nice treatment of the seagull – I think I prefer the white background because the blue background distracts a bit from the blue shadows on the bird. Beautiful blog!
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Hi Jana
This is a nice treatment of the seagull. I prefer the white background because the blue one distracts a bit from the blue shadows on the bird, which make him so 3 dimensional.
You have a beautiful blog.
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Tough question. I like them both but I *probably* like the white background better. Ask me again tomorrow. Stunning use of colour in both!
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Wow — both are just wonderful! The white background really makes the colors in the bird just pop, but the blue background gives it more context and makes it look more complete. They are really both just great!
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Very very nice. I think that I like the white background the best…I think.
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Jana — both are beautiful. I lean toward the blue background, because it emphasizes the lighter part of the seagull. I love the colors you used for his (her?) belly.
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Those reflected lights are GORGEOUS. This morning I liked the white background better, this evening I like the blue. Go figure!
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Thanks everybody. I agree with Dee that the pooling of the blue around the bird is distracting. It was bothering me too. I think I’m going to try to clean up those edges and see if I like it better. It will probably mess up the background wash so then I might have to do that again too. But it’s good to experiment and see what I can get away with. It was heartening though to see that many people liked the blue even with the pooling problem.
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Oh yes, I do like the blue – and the light on the breast was wonderfully done! When I first saw it, I thought wow – I can almost feel the slight breeze ruffling his breast feathers oh so slightly. Wonderful!
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Stunning painting. I have always loved seagulls, even the urban ones, you have painted him like he is royalty.
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Oh they’re both lovely, but I think I prefer the white (which is presumably not what you want to hear). I love the colours in the feathers which are more obvious with the white background. Though I like the darkening of the back in the blue background one.
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that’s an excellent seagull portrait. You can tell he’s watching you for the next bean! I like the painting with the blue background, it’s exciting .
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Very beautiful piece. I am able to appreciate them white background, it creates more of a story.
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