Gentle strokes

I use a custom brush I call Painty Brush [see Workshop Brushes on p.66] to render the smaller feathers covering the bird’s body. This tapers out and simulates a real paintbrush. Indeed, this works well for these particular feathers, which I generally treat more like fur. I apply small strokes, adding more texture to the areas where shadow meets light, and making small dark upside down V-shapes to add shadowed areas.