Flamingos are very pink!

Yesterday i went to Banham Zoo and originally went for a little family outing but turned out sourcing a lot of photo's for my uni work.I have been looking into birds in particular water birds; ducks and swans and it never occured to me to look at Flamingos!
Oh my, they were a sight they were so beautiful and very pink!! This links in well right now as well as i am looking at posture from the influence of swan lake and ballet and they were the perfect models.

I have started to draw them already as i was that inspired by them! The way they move is a laugh in itself. They copy and follow one another, changing direction almost systematically. They look like very proud and elegant birds!
 Here are some of my drawings i have already done,however i'm right in the middle of one now!

I'm trying to focus on the posture and the different perspectives of each bird, instead of using the same photo and the same angle! It gives you a wide look on what can be achieved and how much you miss drawing straight on! The top picture is quick and was done using oil pastel and the second image is on a2 paper and was done with gouache. I love the vibrancy and range of colours! I can't wait to start printing with different pinks and oranges!!!
I also found out that Flamingos are born a pale grey and change to pink due to what they eat. Flamingos eat algae or crustaceans that contain a pigment called carotenoids. The enzymes in the liver break down these carotenoids into a pink or orange pigment and are then deposited within the feathers. The darker coloured birds are the ones who normally eat the algae rather than the birds who eat the small animals that eat the algae. Captive birds are normally fed a special diet of prawns that contain the pigment!


From looking at birds and the colours and my drawings i made a sample today made up of ruffles. I started folding and pleating and looks like a tutu but i wanted to add a 3d dimension to it after looking at one of the ruffles of the fabric backing and i loved the way it hung and displayed it self!

I liked how the sheer fabric draped over the salmon coloured one adding body and weight to it. So i continued to make these and combine different techniques in one sample!

I layered up the indivdual pleats and then folded them over again to get a layer of 4 !

This is where i added the pleated fabric upside down where the salmon colour was facing upwards allowing the sheer fabric to stand up and become 3D!

Here you can really see the different textures of the flatter layers and the 3D ones.

Where the 3D Samples come together with the flatter ones.

Side view of the fabric halfed and the layers gathering up on top.

I really like this sample but sewing it onto fabric has added to much weight to it. I want to achieve a sample that is almost weightless to resemble feathers.

I have a few busy days to come!

Jess x