I love painting birds, and sparrows are one of my favorites.. They are just a friendly bunch who often will hang out in groups and are very common in many parts of the world.. Their markings are so pretty to capture as well.. :)
Marbles on the other hand.. no, just kidding. I do like painting marbles and in fact I love marbles in general.. pretty little mini universes that they are and all.. But man, I haven't painted marbles in several years and I forgot just how hard they are to paint! The reflections, transparency, shadows and distortion.. all in this tiny ball, are challenging to say the least. I am not complaining, I promise... I enjoy trying to capture the complexity and hope I do a half decent job at it.. Not sure if I achieved half decency with this one or not, but I'm pleased enough.
On another note, if you have marbles from your youth, don't get rid of them! I was looking up marbles on eBay when looking for reference pictures and 'vintage' marbles are quite expensive! So, save your marbles folks!
