Bald Eagle Beadwork

Medium: Digital Photoshop, Image Size: 21″h x 21″w, T-shirt Image Size: 12”h x 12”w, 1998.

I did this illustration of a Bald Eagle portrait as part of my Native Visions preprint line for T-shirts. Native Visions was a collection of illustrations where wildlife and Native American beadwork were combined together. Each design pays homage to an important animal in Native American mythology. The beadwork is painted to create the illusion of beads complete with imperfections. It was done in Photoshop, and I created my own custom bead brushes to do it. This is a noble portrait of an eagle, and it represents American pride. Whether it symbolizes pride or represents courage, the Bald Eagle has been admired throughout the ages.

Painted in watercolor. Scanned into the computer and floated. Digital painting and enhancements, graphics, colors, effects, and text were done in Photoshop.