My first GRIFFIN PYO! (5 photos)

I havent done a lot of PYOs at all. A muse, a kirin and now the griffin. Let me give you a little back story on why I chose the color scheme I did. I grew up in NY all my life. Mom and I were very big on feeding the wildlife in our backyard, which was considerable. We had over 12 ultra large bird feeders with so many birds, the feed needed to be refilled each day (not to mention the squirrels that loved to jump the line and try to get onto them).

As soon as it started turning cold enough, usually around Halloween, our favorite birds would show up… Cardinals. We LOVE Cardinals! And, against the gorgeous white snow, they always stood out and were so brilliant. We had a lot fo them and there was this one family of cardinals that actually befriended us more than any other. They always brough their babies by and they would eat out of our hands. The male was particularly friendly and he would sometimes even perch on our shoulders.

When I moved to FL (and mom many years later), we felt as though we lost our typically northern birds. In fact, until mom moved to FL, in the years Id lived here, Id not seen any of my beloved cardinals, figuring that since they always showed up for northern winters, that they didnt like any kind of heat. But mom moved to central FL and when I visited her, she was thrilled to show me that there was a cardinal family that frequented her backyard! Now that I live in central FL, I have seen them too. Today there are 2 cardinal families that hang out in moms backyard and of course, she has tons of feeders out. They seem to hang out all year round.

Like I said, they are our favorite small birds. Mom really loves to sit and watch them and remember times we spent when I was a child growing up, etc. So, among one of the things Im giving her for Christmas, I decided to paint her a PYO Griffin similar to a cardinal! Ive always had a hard time blending and the photos here do not do this PYO enough justice. My blending worked out very well if you saw it in person (plus, Im better with feather textures). The flash washes out a lot of the blending and makes it look shinier than it really is. I finished him in a matter coat and he isnt that shiny, and is more detailed. Maybe one day soon I’ll take him outside and take pix in natural light.

So, here are the photos! I hope you guys think I did OK! For my skill level and lack of PYO experience, I am very pleased at how he came out… and Im usually a nit picker and perfectionist so I know when Im happy, that for me, it must be good. Im sure mom will love him… and if she doesnt (or cant find a place for him), I might keep him or may have to send him to eBay. But Im really hoping she will love him.

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Thank you! He’s not so bright in person, but he is representative red of a cardinal. He is blended with maroons and darker umbers.