ArtistsNetwork.com 29Draw the same individual or type of
bird over and over before moving on to
another. Draw a series of songbirds, for
example, and then a series of ducks.
Stay with the same body type for the
series. I drew this woodchat shrike in
Israel’s Negev Desert.
- GET FAMILIAR.
Know a bird by drawing the
same species over and over,
storing it in muscle memory.
Your drawings will improve
through repetition and famil-
iarity with a single species.
Pick out a sparrow at a feeder
or a gull on the beach, and fill
up a page or two. Make head
studies. Train yourself to see
how the eye relates to the bill
and how the feet grip a branch.
The next time you draw, you’ll
be able to “feel” whether or not
your drawing is right.