Great Blue Heron Autumn Landscape Lake Painting Watercolor Demo on Yupo Paper

Blue herons are a favorite of mine. I had taken a photo one autumn of a heron by the water's edge and have been meaning to paint it. No surprise I want to try this scene using watercolor on Yupo paper (my newest fav) to see what will happen.

To follow the exciting progress and see the final version, read on...

Great Egrets in the Marsh - watercolor painting

A beautiful white egret rises silently as dawn breaks over the marsh. Another egret stands reflected in the water. Soft greens, blues and pinks contribute to the quiet atmosphere of this early morning scene.

•  This painting is sold, but you can see more of my bird paintings in my Etsy shop, JanetZeh.Etsy.com.

Great Blue Heron - watercolor painting

The neighbor's pond just down the road is perfect for a heron, and in fact, there is often one to be seen there.

On one early morning walk, I was struck by the light shining on some tall grasses with a soft mist in the background.  I thought it would make a nice setting for the heron in this painting.

• The original painting has been sold, but check my Etsy shop for more of my bird original art. Thanks for stopping by today!

Great Blue Heron in a Stream watercolor

Passing by a stream on my walk yesterday, I spotted this heron through the trees. When it saw me, it took to the air and flew right by me and over the field across the road. It was most likely headed to a nearby pond. The sight of it stopped me in my tracks because although I see them often, it is rare to see them that close without binoculars. What a pleasant surprise!

Notice that the water in this painting is denoted by reflections and highlights: the reflections of grass, rocks and trees and highlights where the ripples are. To make water reflections realistic, the dark areas are painted a little bit lighter than what is being reflected and the lights a bit darker. When it comes to ripples or waves, those areas are higher than the smooth water, so they are much lighter at the top especially if the sunlight hits them.

• The original has been sold, but you can get the print in my Etsy shop here: Great Blue Heron in a Stream Watercolor Print
• Check for more of my bird art at JanetZeh.Etsy.com. Thanks and have a beautiful day!

Snowy Egrets watercolor painting

A pair of egrets wade in the shallows of a pond. Snowys are distinguishable from other white egrets by the little flip up of feathers on their tail, their black legs and (though you can't see them here) their bright yellow feet!

• The original has been sold, but check for more of my bird art in my Etsy shop, JanetZeh.Etsy.com. Thanks and have a beautiful day!

Great Egret watercolor heron painting

A majestic white egret stands in the shallows of a marsh. I had photographed this bird in Florida sitting at the top of a tree. That will make an interesting painting someday - it's amazing how such large birds can sit on the topmost small branches. But for this painting, I was more interested in the refection of the egret standing in still water. This piece is done with my latest limited palette of one red, one yellow and one blue.

• See more of my artwork at zehoriginalart.com. Thanks for stopping by.
  

Great Egret in Winter watercolor painting

A beautiful egret wades in a wintry marsh near the shore.

• This painting has been sold. See my bird art for sale at JanetZeh.Etsy.com

Great Egret in a Marsh oil on canvas

This is a larger painting than I normally do for a daily painting. It is 11x14 size. My Open Studio was this past weekend and I needed a demo painting, so I did this one. A 5x7 would have been too small for anyone to see easily!
Here a beautiful white Great Egret takes off from the marshy edge of a lake. The soft colors suggest early morning.

Great Blue Heron - watercolor

The feathers of this great blue heron are all fluffed making him a pretty sight indeed!

Great Blue Heron oil painting

The sky is blushed with pink early one morning as the Great Blue Heron lifts off to find a good fishing spot for the day. These herons are majestic in flight. I have tried to capture that in this painting along with the stillness of the lake at dawn.

• This painting has been sold. Take a look at my website for my artwork for sale: zehoriginalart.com. Thanks and have a lovely day!

Great Egret Autumn Scene - watercolor

With a slow beat of its wings, a beautiful white egret lifts off from a pond. The colors of autumn are reflected in the water below.

• This painting has been sold, but if you like it, let me know. I can paint an original or make a print for you. See more of my bird art paintings and prints for sale in my Etsy shop. Have a great day!

Great Egret and Snowy Egret - Watercolor painting

A Great Egret - in the foreground - and a Snowy Egret share the shallows of a pond. Isn't this a serene painting? I can just hear the soft plopping sound as they dip their bills and wade through the water.

• This painting has been sold. See more of my art for sale by visiting my website: zehoriginalart.com. Thanks for stopping by today.
  

Heron painting - Great Egret

A beautiful white egret lifts off from a pond at the local nature preserve in this watercolor painting. This is a place I enjoy visiting frequently as it is only a mile and a half walk from my home.

Great Blue Heron and Autumn Trees - watercolor painting

It seemed that summer only just arrived, but already I notice the crickets singing loudly every night, and the first yellow leaves floating to the ground here and there. First day of school is just around the corner and the nights are cooler. The farmers got their haying done last week while the weather was good, and the first county fairs have begun.

So it seems like a good time to do an autumn painting. In this painting, the New England fall foliage is at its peak, colors reflecting in the pond as a heron stands silently amidst all the beauty.

Great Blue Heron - oil painting

I took a walk up the road the other day past a lot where future neighbors are building a house. They have put in a lovely pond, and there standing on a rock in the pond was a magnificent heron. It didn't stay long, but flew off as soon as it spotted me.

This is one of my "memory" paintings. Sometimes I paint from photos I've taken, sometimes from sketches, and sometimes, like with this one, just from remembering the scene.

Great Blue Heron - oil painting

Almost majestic, the Great Blue Heron stands watch over a pond reflecting a deep blue sky. Any moment, he may take off with a slow beat of his great wings. That is always a sight to see!

Great Blue Heron - Watercolor Painting

This heron almost looks like he just swallowed a fish, the way I've painted him standing with his beak in the air. At any rate, he's a beautiful sight!

• This painting has been sold.
  

Great Egret & Snowy Egret - Watercolor Painting

These two egrets look like buddies wading in the water together. Though they are similar, they are not the same. The one on the left is a Great Egret - it's a bit larger and has green at the eyes and a yellow bill. The one on the right is a Snowy Egret with a black bill and little flipped-up feathers at the tail. If its feet were out of the water, you'd see that they are bright yellow. I painted the water very smooth and still so that their reflections are clear and undisturbed, almost like looking in glass.

• This painting has been sold.
  

Black Crowned Night Heron - Watercolor Painting

I see this heron sometimes in an ocean inlet standing among the reeds. Here I've pictured it in a marsh. It has a long neck, but usually keeps it tucked down as in this painting, and stands still for hours until dusk. Then it takes off in flight to feed at dusk. I guess that's why it's called a night heron. The Black Crowned Night Heron is found all along the eastern seaboard from Canada to South America and also inland wherever there are marshes.

• This painting has been sold.

Great Blue Heron - Watercolor Painting

It's early spring and the Great Blue Heron is looking fine in its breeding plumage. Grasses line the pond, still golden from the long winter. The trees are in their spring green colors. It's not that far away! Yesterday when I was walking in the Nature Preserve, I heard red-winged blackbirds calling at this pond.

• This painting has been sold.