I love this bird. He has the craziest big ass bill. I drew another one in January. When I found this one, I felt like I had hit the freaky-looking bird jackpot.
Shoebill
Drawings
Great White Pelican
I used to work a few blocks from the Oakland Library, the main branch. I would often spend lunches browsing for new reads, music, or inspiration. They have gorgeous books in the reference library. I brought my colored pencils and created this beautiful bird on a particularly happy lunch break.
Fischer’s Turaco
The color on this bird was so hard to capture. They are shimmery, metallic, like jewels. They are in fact so pretty that they are hunted for their feathers and so are in danger of being over-hunted. This little guy has a spunky mohawk and an attitude.
Stork Outline
Around this time, I hadn’t told anyone that I was pregnant, but it was a prominent thought in my mind. A co-worker took off for maternity leave, and we sent her off with a lovely baby shower. I drew this image for the email invite. I’m proud of it. It’s simple yet elegant, effectively communicated the baby message without being too cheesy. It inspired me to create an image for the invites my friends later used for my shower.
Sacred Ibis
Easy to see why they were considered sacred. These are such stately, distinctive birds.
Barn Owl
I also love owls. They have such personality. Sadly, this is not one of my best owls in this series. But he’s still an attractive fellow. I love that he’s sitting on a bone, too.
American Goldfinch
At this point in the year of birds, we were three months into trying to have a baby, and now I was definitely one month pregnant. Just pregnant enough to be slightly miserable, but not pregnant enough to tell anyone. So the baby bird drawings, while infrequent, now start in earnest. I love this one. The urgency of their squawking little faces, the vivid colors of their naked necks… it was fun to draw.
European Robin
Robin drawn without his redbreast. A study in wing feathers with graphite rather than color.
King Vulture
The wattle on this bird was fascinating and puzzling. By the time I figured it out enough to render it, I had no energy left for the neck feathers. But their rushed quality actually works for me. It didn’t become too stiff or precious, as sometimes happens.
claire meyler 