Prince of the Backyard

Oil on cradled wood, 8 x 10 in.  --

This is my baby rooster, Leo. He is only four months old, and already looks so gorgeous. First, I was working from a photo, but I felt stuck after doing underpainting and basic drawing on canvas in the studio. The photo doesn't show the color and value well. I brought my easel out to the backyard so that I could paint right in front of Leo. So I painted outside, while being surrounded with our chickens. Fortunately Leo was in the right mood today, and willing to sit still for a more than a few minutes at a time.
     Below is the picture of Leo on a garden bench in the backyard. Our chicks were raised on a bath towels since they were babies, and they love sitting on one, just like this. Can you see, I planned it for my work? Once I setup my easel in front of him, my painting session went very smooth.

The other chick on the bench in the photo is Coco. She was visiting Leo while he was posing for me.