Until recently most of my work has been in pencils, and is highly detailed, lately I've been trying out pastels and this picture was a perfect match for the medium. Using pastels meant I could keep the soft edges on the wings, this gave the subtle effect of them moving. The face was slightly clearer and gives a good point of focus for the viewer, I pushed him over to one side so he has plenty of space to fly to.
This is not the original background, initially it was a bokeh style and as soon as I finished I realised that it was far too busy and had to be toned down. I should've walked away and considered my options. Fortunately all went well and the more subdued background made the owl the star of the piece, exactly as he should be.
For Sale, £80 + p&p