On regular paper, lightly mark 1” squares. Now lightly again, sketch in your eagle block by block. When you feel satisfied, trace over your drawing with a black fine-tip marker. Now trace this onto white card stock paper.
Carefully do the eye with your fine-tip marker. Continue on with the face and neck. I found it easier to use gray paint for the markings, along with a bit of black around the eye. (Follow the same directions for the tail.) The beak uses a mix of yellow, brown, and black pencil color where shown. I touched mine up with paint for a more natural look, and to make a correction. Paint is a great way to cover up mistakes!
Place a soft foam sheet under your drawing. Then trace over the feather divisions with the stylus tool. With foam sheet still there, use the underhand grip to apply layers of dark brown and some black. If you want a more solid brown, brush over the entire body with a brown wash. This is done by adding a tiny bit of water to thin the paint. You should still be able to see your feather divisions. Then fill in darker areas with a black pencil color.
Now finish with the tree burl and branches, using black, brown, and a bit of antique white (or cream) paint. Here again, this can be darkened by a brown wash if it seems to stand out too much.
Chalk in a deep blue sky to help its white head stand out. I like to use a fat splayed brush to do the sweepings. Just remember to do this on scrap paper first to avoid ugly streaks!
Now if you’re like me, you’ll labor a lot to get it looking right. But just do your best and let it rest, and enjoy the result.
