Pencil drawing is the perfect medium in which to draw birds. It is quick and easy to apply when sketching bird movement out in the field and those sketches can easily translate to the finished pencil drawing when back home. Drawing is a wonderful way to capture the essence of birds, their quizzical nature, their beauty, their fragility and the immense power of some such as birds of prey.

 

To draw birds well, try some of the following tips:

 

1. Get used to sitting quietly and experiencing nature as life carries on around you. Take a sketchbook and pencil and enjoy capturing the essence of birds as they move, hop and fly around you.

 

2. Notice their different size beaks and understand how this relates to their food source. This will help you to be able to draw the correct background and plants around the bird of your choice.

 

3. Notice the colorings and shadings of their plumage; try to consider how you would be able to draw the feathers successfully and quickly.

 

4. Notice how some bird’s feathers appear smooth and sleek whilst other plumage appear ruffled and puffed out.

 

5. If you can time your sketching with the arrival of spring, observe their mating displays and distinct behavioural patterns as they attempt to attract their future mates. These scenes will often translate into eye-catching and interesting pictures.

 

6. As birds tend to move around constantly searching for food, preening their feathers or hiding from predators, it may be worth capturing your chosen species on film so that you can use the photos when making the final drawing.

 

7. Although pencil drawing, like all mediums can be frustrating if you start to make mistakes, drawing birds can add a new dimension to this art form, and it can become a very relaxing hobby and yet holds many challenges to the newcomer.

 

8. As with all artistic forms, choosing the composition of the drawing is extremely important and this means ensuring that you know exactly what you are going to draw before you actually begin.

 

9. Travel to different locations to be able to draw the birds of your choice i.e. river, sea, park and woods.

 

10. Some birds spend much of their time in or near water, so when drawing these birds it may be necessary to brush up your skills on drawing water so that the chosen subject has its usual habitat around it.