The document provides guidance for drawing birds by focusing first on basic shapes and structure before adding details. It emphasizes capturing the subject's posture and proportions with light sketch lines before adding an oval body and circular head. Studying bird anatomy, like how feathers grow in specific regions and groups, can also help draw birds more accurately by relating feather patterns to the underlying shapes.

1. Drawing…for the birds

2. I mean, “of the birds”

3. Let’s start with the basics

4. Study this chart. Refer to it
often. Don’t lose it.

5. Drawing of the birds
Once you have the basic shapes blocked in you are ready to add details
on top of that framework. This is the fun part but do not skip the first
steps and jump to drawing the beak and eye. Details without structure
will get you nowhere.

6. Drawing of the birds
The most important part of the drawing is getting the basic shape right
at the start. Instead of focusing on details at the start of a picture, make
light sketch lines to capture the posture, proportions, and angles of
your subject.

7. Drawing of the birds
Start your bird sketch by noting the posture of the bird or the angle at
which it sits with a single line. Over this, add an oval for a body and
then a circle for the head. Then stop and check your proportions. It is
easy to change the size of the head early in the drawing.

8. Drawing of the birds
Studying bird anatomy will help you draw birds more accurately.
Feathers grow from specific regions on the bird’s body with bare skin
between them. These feather groups define the shape and contours of
a bird and the patterns on the feathers relate directly to the underlying
feather group.

9. Drawing of the birds
Your turn!

10. Drawing of the birds
Your turn!