I needed to design a bird that would be the opposite of the weathered gull and be more of an elegant and exotic bird that lived within the greenhouse as a pet and a show of wealth. On my trip to the botanical gardens I found an aviary that had a selection of exotic birds. Here are some of the photos I took and images found on the internet of birds I saw at the aviary but couldn't get many good pictures of.
The white cheeked turaco was a really nice looking bird. I really loved the head shape of this bird and how unique and interesting it looked. I didn't want my bird to have the same stumpy short body however but the head might be a nice place to start or incorporate into my final design.
Parrots were a major part of victorian aviaries simply because of their size and exotic look. The macaw species in particular shown here have a really nice sense of grandeur and majesty due to their sheer size and vivid colours and patterns. I think I would like to have a parrot maybe in a cage in one of the backgrounds.
These are photos taken by me of my favourite bird I saw. The Purple Glossy Starling. What I loved about this bird was the lovely tail shape it had that hung down and then sparked off at an odd angle that looked so different and I had never seen that before and thats what I wanted for my bird.It had to have that feel. I also fell in love with the blue purple sheen to its coat. I really love this bird and Im going to use it as my basis for my designs.
Onto my designs:
I started by trying to sketch the shape and head of the purple glossy starling and also doing some quick studies of the turaco. In this design at the bottom right I have my first finished design that I am happy with and will take further onto the process. I have tried to combine the turaco and starling into this nice little bird.
