Bringing the Tui to Life – Next Steps on Copper

In my last post, I shared the very first stage of this copper artwork — just the faint outline of a tui, edged and waiting. Today, the bird is starting to appear.

I’ve built up the surface with two layers of primer, followed by both black and white paint to shape the form. My focus began with the tui’s head and eyes — I always feel that once the eyes are alive, the whole piece begins to breathe. From there, I’ve started shading the body to lay down the structure and flow of feathers.

Working on corrugated copper is a unique challenge — the grooves of the metal add their own rhythm to the painting. At this stage it’s still rough and early, but already the tui is taking shape.

This commission for Picton locals (our fellow Pictorians) is slowly unfolding, and I can’t wait to share the next layers as the colours deepen and the tui comes to life.

#JessyIllustrates #TuiArt #PictonNZ #NZArtist #CopperArt