February's Bird Whisperers’ bird is the Saw-Whet Owl, and it is one of the smallest owl species native to North America. To add a nice, mythical feel (and a nod at February's birthstone), I wanted to paint this little one in an orb ringed with gold and adorned with amethyst.

This is the 8x8” original drawing! It is a mixed media piece on recycled Bristol. I worked the owl and original drawing in Pigma Micron pens, colored the amethysts using Copic markers, and painted the gold ring using Lumiere true gold acrylic.

The Bird Whisperers is an online group of artists who paint a new bird every month! You can find us on Facebook!