As much as I love painting, I also love to draw. Many years ago, I decided that it would be great to be a bird illustrator. I took a workshop in bird anatomy and heard the instructor tell us that birds are the most difficult animals to draw and paint. Boy, was that encouraging! Because of their anatomy and they have feathers instead of fur, they have very few points where there bones appear at the surface. Bones are reference points for drawing human and animal anatomy. Plus, birds move their feathers around and can make themselves look totally different by how they puff up or slick down their feathers. Some birds change their feather patterns and colors from one season to another so this adds another variable. Here I am, many years later, attempting to draw and paint birds. Wish me luck!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Snow Goose Study
As much as I love painting, I also love to draw. Many years ago, I decided that it would be great to be a bird illustrator. I took a workshop in bird anatomy and heard the instructor tell us that birds are the most difficult animals to draw and paint. Boy, was that encouraging! Because of their anatomy and they have feathers instead of fur, they have very few points where there bones appear at the surface. Bones are reference points for drawing human and animal anatomy. Plus, birds move their feathers around and can make themselves look totally different by how they puff up or slick down their feathers. Some birds change their feather patterns and colors from one season to another so this adds another variable. Here I am, many years later, attempting to draw and paint birds. Wish me luck!
