Feather step-by-step

I was making a feather step-by-step to one at the UK forum and thought you might also be interested. It is a very simple technique, that can be build on from just one feather to whole wings.

Step 1:
Make a middle line


Load the brush with white and another colour at the end. For this it is brown, since the black, can be a bit harsh. I have done the design with rag brush, angle brush and flat brush. They all give slightly different results, but all can work.


Step 2:
Drag the brush from the middle out and repeat all the way down, making the feather thinner.


Step 3:
Repeat on the other side. If the feathers are overlapping, it is important that one side is lighter than the other.


Step 4 (optional):
Use a darker colour very near the middle and repaint the middle, if you have painted over it.


Step 5 (optional):
With white feathers on white skin (or the opposite) a thin line around the edge can make it stand out more.


Step 6 (for when you have to much time):
Ad shadow under the feather and continue adding layers of different colours to build dimension.

freakin awesome...thanks so much!!!

Beautiful! I love how you shadowed the wings & made it look as if they were sprouting out of the skin! Thank you!

Oh Thank you! I love your feathers.

these are soooo cool. thank you for sharing!!!

Lone that's awesome thanks so much for sharing.

You make it look so easy! Thanks for the SBS!
It is beautiful!!

love those feathers! the wings look so fluffy and soft!!

They are wonderful..Thankyou.

Wonderful, thank you!

Thank you so much for sharing!