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ANSWER TO MYSTERY TECHNIQUE #133:

After sketching the cardinal on tracing paper, I used a light box to transfer the drawing onto watercolor paper. Next I mixed several reds for the first layer and added a little New Gamboge to the beak. When this layer dried, I rewet the paper, then painted bluish black next to the beak before quickly adding another layer of red. I came in wet-in-wet with a pale brownish gray to suggest darker feathers and shadows; to control the results, I kept this color drier than the red. I finished the eye, beak, and feet with watercolor pencils and stippling with a .005 Micron black pen.