Bird in Nest 🐦

This sweet little bird project combines acrylic paint, glass, and resin to create a textured, dimensional mixed media piece that feels playful and cozy. It’s imperfect on purpose, forgiving in process, and one of those projects that magically comes together at the end. If you love layering, texture, and letting the art evolve as you go, try this project!

Step 1: Prepare the Canvas and Trace the Bird

Start with a blank 6×6 canvas. Tape your bird tracer onto the canvas so it doesn’t shift. Using graphite paper and a stylus (or any pointy tool), trace only the outer shape of the bird, the beak, eye placement, and a loose guideline for the nest.

Avoid tracing the bird’s breast area in detail since glass will be added later and won’t fit perfectly inside tight lines. Once traced, lightly sketch a rough shape where the belly will go so your painted color roughly matches the glass size later.

Step 2: Paint the Background Sky

Begin painting the background using Sea Mist mixed with white, working loosely and imperfectly. Let brushstrokes show and don’t stress about even coverage. Texture is your friend here. Let dry.

Step 3: Paint the Base of the Nest

Using Raw Umber, paint the bottom portion of the canvas where the nest will live. Keep the edge uneven and organic - no straight lines. Blend the top of the brown slightly into the blue background so there’s a soft transition instead of a harsh line.

This brown layer acts as the foundation for the nest texture later, so coverage matters more here than precision.

Step 4: Paint the Bird Body

Switch to black paint and begin painting the bird’s body, carefully avoiding the belly area. Use a slightly dry brush and short, feathery strokes around the edges to create texture. 

Fill in the body like a coloring book once the edges are established, then soften areas with tiny touches of white mixed into the black to prevent it from looking flat.

Step 5: Add the Eye and Beak

Paint the center of the eye black, then add a soft ring of white around it, blending slightly so it doesn’t look stark. For the beak, mix Antique Gold with a touch of black, then add a hint of orange for warmth. Pull a tiny bit of black into the base of the beak so it blends naturally into the face.

Step 6: Paint the Bird’s Belly Base

Mix Persimmon Orange with a touch of Cherry Red and white, then loosely paint the bird’s belly area. Don’t worry too much about how this looks - it’s mainly there to prevent white canvas from peeking through behind the glass.

Feather a little black into the top edge where the belly meets the body to keep the transition soft.

Step 7: Build the Nest with Paint

Once the base brown layer is dry, start adding nest texture using Khaki Tan and a round brush. Press, twist, and pull the brush as you paint to create organic, twig-like strokes. Vary pressure and direction so the nest feels natural and layered.

Add smaller strokes with a detail brush to fill gaps, then introduce touches of white for contrast and return with Raw Umber to unify everything. You can even add a hint of blue here and there for depth. Let dry.

Step 8: Add Final Pen Details

Once the paint is mostly dry, use an archival pen to add a few subtle nest lines, tiny sprigs, or definition around the eye. This step adds personality and helps everything feel finished without overpowering the piece. 

Step 9: Add Glass 

Place your two glass pieces on the belly to ensure placement feels right. Mix a very small batch of resin—about ¼ ounce total is plenty. Spread a thin layer of resin on the canvas where the glass will go, rub a little resin onto the back of the glass pieces, then place them carefully.

Pour the remaining resin over the top and gently spread so the glass is fully sealed.

While the resin is still wet, sprinkle clear glass onto the nest area. This adds incredible dimension while still allowing the painted nest to show through. Lightly press pieces into the resin so they settle but don’t sink.

Torch quickly to pop bubbles, keeping the flame moving at all times.

This little bird is proof that messy, intuitive art often turns out to be the most charming. The combination of paint, glass, and resin gives the piece depth, sparkle, and personality - and no two will ever look the same.

If you're a member of The Shattered Circle, you'll find this tutorial in your classroom under Art Shattered Weekly Facebook Lives, search for "Bird in Nest".

If you don’t want to miss my Facebook LIVE art instruction, make sure you are on my texting list. I always text 10 minutes before I’m going to go LIVE, so you won’t ever miss it. You can text “Hey Cindy” to 901-519-2923.

Want more inspiration and artwork?

•  My website artshattered.com with resources, shop, and more!
•  My creative membership The Shattered Circle, where you can explore the world of glass art with online workshops, a supportive community, and more!
•  My mini creative membership Just A ‘Lil Bit Monthly Glass Art Club, where you’ll get a new quick and easy online tutorial for just a lil' bit of sparkle in your life!
• My Facebook page where I go LIVE every Wednesday night.
• My YouTube channel which has tons of free art lessons right at your fingertips.