I had been avoiding drawing a bald eagle, because it is THE bird that symbolizes America, and I didn’t want it to look stiff. I wanted to draw a bird that looked like a bird, not an icon. So, when National Geographic did a spread on eagles, I found a few images that were really dramatic and had great movement. I love the upward sweep of the right wing, whip-like.

I did this bird and another bald eagle in the same night.