The Rio 2016 Olympics kick off this Friday so I thought it would be a fitting subject for my Monday moodboard.
It is such an amazing source of inspiration. I’ve already created a series of work looking at Brazilian birds and florals. I’m also fascinated by Rio’s fabulous tiled beach fronts and decorative, colourful buildings as well as its dramatic landscapes and glorious carnivals. I’m really looking forward to learning more about this wonderful place over the coming weeks.
I’m currently working on a birds from brazil illustration series to coincide with this years Olympics. While researching this topic I kept coming across images of the green-headed tanager.
This small, colourful bird can be found in the Atlantic forest in south-eastern Brazil and far eastern Paraguay.
The creature measures an average of 13.5cm. Its preferred habitat is humid forests but there have been sightings in orchards and parks; apparently its flashy blue-green coloration camouflages well among the foliage.
As this bird is so colourful and full of character it was tremendous fun to draw. It was great to break out the brighter colours in my watercolour box. Plus, I couldn’t resist creating lots of sketches to capture the quirky, playful nature of this vibrant little critter.
