Phoenix/Firebird Sign

My kids (one in particular) decided she wanted a phoenix for her room, because her friend had drawn her a picture once and it looked very pretty.  I didn’t know how to make a bird look like it was rising from the ashes, so instead I painted the one from one of my favorite folktales, holding the tsar’s cherry in its mouth.

Birds can come in many different sizes and shapes, and originally my daughter wanted a peacock to be the basis of this one. I painted it, but I didn’t have any very good pictures to use as a reference.  My first practice painting came out poorly.  After I’d done two more (using a raven as a reference) I was much happier with it.

To make the stars in the background, I splattered the white canvas with liquid friskit, using a toothbrush and a paperclip.  That is, I dipped the toothbrush in the friskit and splattered the page by drawing the paperclip down the bristles.  Then I let it dry and erased it from where the bird was to go.

I realized after I’d already sprayed the fixative on it that I forgot to paint the legs, but I think it looks fine without them.