How to Paint a Hen in Watercolor

What do you recall when you see the image of a hen?

I always picture Ana, my maternal grandmother, crowing to gather her chicks. She fed them corn, throwing it from a basket into the garden at her kitchen door.

Hens, chickens, and eggs all symbolize prosperity, fertility, abundance, the feminine force, maternity, and the beginning of life. I love what they represent!

In this post, you can see photo steps on how to paint a hen in watercolor.

This is a piece of art I made for a series of egg illustrations, painted in watercolor, as part of a commission for a story about eggs.

They were published in the online magazine Life and Thyme “Cracking the Code -An Exploration of the Incredible, Edible Egg” featuring the ubiquitous egg. The article explores how eggs from different animals are used in diverse cuisines around the world.

How to paint a chicken in watercolor

Step 1 Images were gathered as a source of inspiration (below left).

Step 2 Different features on several photos of hens served as a reference to draw a new and totally different hen (below right).

Step 3 The egg shape was masked with masking fluid and let it dry. Water was applied to the whole surface. Then, the background was added around the hen, letting the pink watercolor flow a little into the shape of the hen (below left).

Step 4 When the surfaced was dried, a layer of yellow was applied to the body and red to the crest (below right).

Step 5 When the surface was completely dried, a layer of water was applied inside the shape of the hen. Black and brown tones were added to the wet surface letting it blend (below left).

Step 6 When the surface was dried, a layer of clear water was applied again and shading was added under the wing. I few touches of dark paint created the feeling of feathers on the wing (below right).

Step 7 The masking film was removed from the egg and shading was added. Cast shade was painted under the hen and egg.

Here is another watercolor with chickens.