I apply a medium base of Rootbeer for the main body of the eagle. I pay attention to my “lines” and make sure that they are still recognizable. The Rootbeer base color saturation is not even; in some parts it’s darker in others lighter. Next I apply a coat of my favorite custom mixed color, a dirty trans- parent red oxide (trans red oxide mixed with black). With this I begin sculpting all of my detail in white, and then spray with my dirty red oxide. With an over reduced black I accent the deepest shadows.


I repeat this process for the rest of the ea- gle’s body. I spray in the head feathers with hundreds of white dagger strokes (on the gray base) to give it a nice layered look, and quickly spray in the eye of the eagle using the last of my custom mixed yellow. I unmask the background, and make sure the eagle’s drop shadows are dark enough. 16 ounces of clear and several hours of wet sanding later, it’s buffed to a high shine and ready for delivery.


It’s always fun to look back on artwork that you’ve done in the past. It’s amazing to see the difference in skill and execution. I painted the tailgate a little over 2 years ago, and you’d have to be blind to not see the difference when comparing the two pieces. I’m looking forward to adding the next piece on this truck someday.


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