Travel Days Series - Bayan-Ulgi, Mongolia

Our next stop in our Travel Days Series is to Mongolia! A trip I have never taken personally but would be an incredible sight to see. We will go into the desolate landscapes near the Atlai Mountains in western Mongolia. Here, there is a special bond between man and eagle. The golden eagles have been trained to hunt small animals in the area by the Kazakh people for centuries. The owners say these birds are like part of their families. Head over to our blog to watch the art journal prompt!

For this lesson, we will be using ink, acrylics and pastels with our ephemera or collage elements to create an expansive landscape. I wanted to highlight the bond or connection not only between eagle and human but also the bond to tradition and nature. By doing this, I wove in some textile elements to bring the traditions into the piece. I love using a ink wash to help blend my ephemera and give it a warm tint. Then come over with layers of acrylics to create my own painted scene. My last step is to bring in the saturated hues from the soft pastels and fine details with black and white pens.

For this color palette, I was inspired by the local embroidery of the textiles combined with the natural elements that surround the vast lands. If you head over to our Unsplash photo collection you will see the gorgeous embroidery on the clothing filled with vibrant colors. I wanted to tie these in with the beauty of the Altai Mountains that surround these eagle hunters.