"Thanks for sharing your methods and materials, and inspiring our love of nature with your fun and sincere art!"  J.C.
 
I LOVE Birds!  Bird feathers and some varieties of leaves are very similar in shape.  I always wanted to do a more detailed bird image with layered leaves (to imitate feathers) like this.  Bald Eagles, like other Eagles, fly higher than any other birds and are symbols of strength, courage, freedom & immortality, are majestic and strikingly beautiful.  Did you know, unlike other Eagles, the Bald Eagle is indigenous ONLY to North America?   
 
My Eagles were made in two pieces, top and bottom.  Once both pieces were scanned, they were put together in Photoshop and sized to fit the background.  Both Eagles are the same image.  The one on the left was sized smaller and tilted using Photoshop.  I then printed just the Eagles on plain paper & used those to build the background around them & choose appropriate colors & leaves.  All came together nicely in Photoshop!  Lots of different leaves used this time...
Eagle head:  Artemesia
Eagle beak & eyes:  Sunflower flower petals
Small feathers below the head:  pine cone
All other brown & green feathers:  Oak leaves
White & green tail feather:  tropical plant Stromanthe
Dark brown branch: pear
Tree trunk: aged wild dock
Two red leaves: burning bush
Yellow leaf lower left corner:  snail chewed kale leaf, aged 
Small brown trees: elderberry berry twigs
Green mountain in background: ginger root leaf
Bright yellow distant mountains:  Rhododendron
Blue watercolor lake & sky