Did this a few years ago while I was playing around with a combination of realism (the macaw) and abstract (the background). Abstract has never been my forte, so I was trying out an idea of a blockish, bold look with the branch and foliage.
I deliberately left the edges rough to keep with the abstract feeling.

Prismacolor on Bristol 9 x 14 with an Icarus Board (which I highly recommend when striving for heavy saturation and blending.)

Icarus Boards aren't cheap, but they're are godsend for the hands/arms. They cut about 2/3's of your blending/layering time by using heat to melt the wax in the pencils or other wax-based medium. Google it!