The Swallow

I think swallows are under-appreciated. They swoop and dive in the air with a lot of speed and grace...it's pretty mesmerizing to watch. Most species have an incredible iridescence in their feathers. If they catch the light just right, they can shimmer brighter than any hummingbird.

I had so much fun with this. Unlike most of my works that are inked and digitally touched up, this one was done ONLY digitally. I did use a reference, seen here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_swa…

This piece inspired me to produce an illustration series on iridescent birds. Like the swallow, I am going to focus on some of the lesser-appreciated birds with iridescence. There's more out there than you may realize...