Beautiful Australian Bird Feather Paintings Created in my Feather Painting Masterclass

Last weekend I taught my feather painting masterclass at Vault134 on Hutt St in Adelaide. It was a great success and I was so proud of all my students and the artworks they produced. Each participant took home their very own framed Australian feather painting that they created during the session, along with an instruction booklet they can use to keep practicing the acrylic painting techniques I taught during the class.

Friendly Group of Creatives

The group of students who attended my masterclass were enthusiastic and a joy to teach. They got stuck into their paintings and soaked up all the lessons that I presented.

None of the group had a background in acrylic painting but all of them are artists in their own right. Two friends who are predominantly watercolorists came along to try something new and meet some creative people in the city. One of the participants is predominantly an oil painter but likes learning the techniques that I teach because many of them are transferrable to that medium. I even had an amazing photographer join me, who unsurprisingly has an exceptional grasp of composition, light and contrast.

All of my classes welcome people of all skill levels. There truly is something for everyone and everyone goes home with a hand made masterpiece.

Meeting all these different creative people and spending time making art with them is so fulfilling for me. It is one of the main reason I put myself out there to run painting masterclasses.

Australian Feather Paintings

I really liked how each participant had a different interpretation of the feathers available for inspiration. One person even took up the challenge to include two feathers in their composition. Each finished masterpiece was unique and reflected its maker.

Red Tailed Black Cockatoo Feather

The red tailed black cockatoo feather was a popular choice. I think many people were drawn to the beautiful patterns and bright colours. It is an ambitious feather to paint because you need to capture the light and shade in the alternating bands of colour along the length of the feather. The shadow hues are vastly different in the black areas compared with the yellow, orange and red bands.

Techniques Inspired by my Australian Bird Collection

The acrylic painting techniques taught in my feather painting masterclass were inspired by my Australian bird collection of paintings.

The layering of glazes and highlights in acrylic paint was used in every single one of my Australian bird paintings to create depth, texture and detail.

Feather Printmaking Masterclass

The next feather masterclass that I have coming up is a printmaking masterclass. In this class, students will learn how to create a beautiful detailed relief print of an Australian bird feather.

Check out my blog post on the feather printmaking masterclass for more details. Hope to see you there!