Rising from the Ashes

It felt quite significant that the first thing I would draw after a seven year gap would be an eagle; I suppose this was within my comfort zone and existing skill-set. I spent some time working on myself with a hypnotherapist and whilst her business is called Black Dog Therapy, she told me that her guide or spirit animal is a white eagle. The eagle watches over Kate and her clients during their sessions together, and has the benefit of great perspective from circling high above.

As a thank you for her help, I drew Kate this eagle. She was so delighted with it that she got it framed and displays it proudly in her treatment room. Others who have seen this sketch think that he should be named "Phoenix", which is certainly apt given what he represents.

The image that I used is a White-bellied Sea Eagle and was found via Google from a site called WikiWand. As you can see the body of the bird is largely featureless owing to it being white! I've used a fair bit of artistic licence to give him texture, depth and interest. I had some fun playing with Prisma again; whilst I enjoy the preciseness of sketching I do love softening my work to look like a painting.