I decided to paint an owl on Velour paper, Hahnemuhle paper. I wanted to achieve the soft feel and texture of the feathers. It worked very well. I painted "Soco" a Barred Owl now in captivity due to an injury. I went to an educational wild life Demonstration presented by Wild For Life: Center For Rehabilitation Of Wildlife,Inc. located in Asheville, N.C. It was sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited.  With camera in hand I took some photos of 2 screech owls, a broad winged Hawk, and "Soco" the Barred Owl. I fell in love with all and "Soco" grabbed my heart.

The paper was soft and velvety and held the layers of soft pastel nicely.  I used Unison soft pastels for the first time too. Emma Colbert's Animal Set from England.