Introduction

Hello and welcome. This is going to be my blog about drawing and illustrating birds, a subject I've been working on for several years now. I have a lot of material ready, I just need to do some scanning and editing. I'll start with the basics of form, mass, and anatomy. Then I'll address how form follows function, some important poses and behaviors, and the mechanics of flight. Next will come surface details, feathers, patterns and colors. I may even take a few steps into habitats and environments, so we can see the birds in context. I will illustrate everything with diagrams as well as watercolor paintings, and I'll try to keep everything as clear and simple as possible. Along the way I will reference a number of other bird illustrators and authors, scientists and amateur photographers and birders. I will do some writing about birding in general, but this blog will primarily be about illustration. However my drawing method involves a lot of observation of natural phenomena, structural patterns and behavior, so I don't entirely separate illustration from biology. I expect these lessons to be applicable to other drawing subjects, and this blog is meant to be a companion piece to my broader-themed blog about the natural and built environment called A Green Language.