Lilac Breasted Roller & Superb Starling:

Jan and James lead annual photographic/natural history safaris to Kenya. As part of the experience Jan does a painting for the participants. This last year a couple in the group who have many of Jan's paintings requested a Lilac Breasted Roller and also commissioned Jan to do a Superb Starling as a companion piece. This What's on the Easel now will show both paintings.

Natural History Notes:
While most everyone goes to Africa to see the big game such as elephants, rhino, leopard and lion, the bird life is incredible as well! The Lilac Breasted Roller is found throughout Africa. There are many species of beautiful starlings throughout the continent, but the Superb Starling is only found in East Africa.

Sometimes in Jan's sketchbook/journal she will do quick little watercolor studies using a small portable watercolor set. She particularly tries to do this with the colorful birds. These are two studies of the superb starling and lilac breasted roller.

Here Jan has sketched out the two birds to size so that the drawings can be transferred to the painting surface.

The backgrounds have been done at the same time to match colors. The birds and branches they are sitting on have been blocked in with dark brown paint and the drawing has been transferred.

This is the Lilac Breasted Roller half done. As you can see, feathers go a lot faster than fur as Jan does not "draw" them in first with paint as she does a hair coat.

This is the Superb Starling half finished.

Here is the finished Lilac Breasted Roller - arguably one of the most beautiful birds in Africa

This is the completed Superb Starling. The first one I did in my journal - my guide said, "That is a SUPERB Superb Starling!!!" Beautiful colors!