I don't produce detailed drawings before I start a painting but I have a rough idea of the composition and lighting; I prefer to let the painting evolve. The paint is built up in transparent layers and washes gradually working more detail with opaque paints over this I will use several washes to add depth finishing off with an overall wash to unify the different parts of the painting.

The birds are invariably the last main part of the painting and then I will tweak other areas to make sure it fits in with the overall picture. Before I paint the birds I will make a more detailed sketch and then I sometimes transfer this directly on to the painting but if I am uncertain I will photograph the painting and sketch then play around with the scale and position of the bird on the computer, this saves a lot of time and having to draw different sized birds plus I feel if it looks part of the painting on a smaller screen. I have been known to repaint a large chunk of the painting at this stage. It is also a modern equivalent of looking at work from different angles, e.g. upside down, mirror image, etc.

I use Liquitex smooth flow acrylics, occasionally I will add full bodied paints for extra punch. My surface is often mdf primed several time and sanded to a smooth surface, it's great to work on and if need be I can cut a bit off.