I’ve always been one of those people who “can’t draw.” Until I discovered that drawing doesn’t have to be an innate talent - it can be a learned skill. That’s why I was excited to see a series of webinars on how to draw birds with John Muir Laws, the author of an excellent book on nature journaling.
The webinar opened with an invitation to draw a bird on our own. This cringe-worthy sketch of Aldo the kestrel illustrates why I might benefit from some instruction. Like many people, I began drawing his eye and beak, then worked down to the tail. Even before adding any details, the proportions are all wrong: the head is too big, beak too narrow, and tail too long.
Mr. Laws explains that "once you're drawing details, your brain is no longer able to track the big picture, the proportions of this bird." If the basic angles and proportions aren't right, the final drawing will look like you've invented a new species.
He then demonstrated his method of first blocking in the basic shapes of the bird. We lightly sketched circles and ovals for head and body, simple lines for wing and tail, and scribbled in some feet. “Move your pencil faster!” he prompted while practicing 60 second sketches. "When you draw slowly, your brain wants to be precise." Once we had the proportions correct, we could start adding details. The step-by-step process led to my drawing looking nearly recognizable as the warbler in the photograph!
With Aldo perched in the backyard, I practiced this technique of blocking in his form. I started to capture the "gestalt" of the little falcon after a few tries, but I think I'll need to practice a little more before I can do this handsome man justice!
You can find John Muir Law's How to Draw Garden Birds and other archived workshops on his website.
Or you can sign up to attend "How to Draw Raptors," a live virtual workshop on May 28th (it's free!).
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