Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER
SEVEN
Birds
Birds have been one of the most popular subjects for artists for hundreds of
years. Fortunately, now we can work from photographs, unlike artists such
as John James Audubon. But if you want to create convincing drawings of
birds, it's a good idea to spend some time making quick sketches of them
from life so that you have some knowledge of their movement and behavior.
I have bird feeders and birdhouses set up around my kitchen window for
easy viewing, and I like to spend time at bird rehabilitation centers and zoos.
Spring is the best time to catch a glimpse of baby birds, of course, al-
though some species, like American goldfinches, have their babies in late
summer because their favorite food is thistles that have gone to seed.
The hummingbirds at left were great fun to draw. I find their tiny little
nests and eggs fascinating. The babies in this picture have grown so big they
hardly fit in the nest anymore!
I began the first layer of colors by applying a loose blue and green pastel
vignette around the drawing for the background, then erased any areas
where the colors overlapped the image. The leaves and flowers received me-
dium green and soft pink, respectively, with colored pencils. The humming-
birds' colors were applied with a blue-green colored pencil, with a little
yellow-green around the edges and under the wing. Father bird's chin patch
is magenta. The nest is light brown with touches of olive green.
Next, I detailed the leaves with dark green and brown, adding yellow
ochre and red along some of the edges. The petals received a few peach
colored glazes, then magenta details. The centers are yellow ochre and
brown. The nest and twigs were given touches of brown, raw sienna, and
olive green.
For the birds, most of the details were drawn with brown colored pencil,
but I also added a few turquoise touches, especially on the tail, and a little
raw sienna on the breasts. The eyes are black, with a scratched-out high-
light. The male's chin patch feathers were drawn in with dark red, with a
little brown shading around the edges.
