Blackbird sitting in the old oak tree

Today I'm joining Moo-Mania and More, whose fortnightly theme is Blackbird, and also Art Journal Journey, whose monthly theme for February is Birds, Beasts, and Humans.  Although I normally show my Journal 52 entry on Friday, I wanted to get this in before Art Journal Journey changed their theme.

That blackbird is rather large for the scale of the tree, but I still had to use it for this theme.

I enhanced the bird by adding "feathers."

I played with the wording of a song, and called this "Blackbird sitting in the old oak tree."

I used a painting technique known as sgraffito to "carve" the initials in the tree. Sgraffito is a technique where a top layer of color is scratched to reveal either a color, glaze, or part of a surface underneath. The term comes from the Italian word sgraffire meaning (literally) "to scratch."

I knew I wanted a swing and this is the best my limited drawing skills could muster.

Here's one more look at the full spread.

Thanks for joining me at Moo-Mania and More and Art Journal Journey for my take on this blackbird.  I'm always appreciative of your comments and visit.