Oh saddle-billed stork, you are so grumpy in appearance. What brave little imp would dare to ride your saddled visage?
Saddlebilled Stork
bird
Great Egret
For anyone who has been keeping track, it should be fairly obvious by now that I love these birds This makes my fourth one, my April Egret. At this point, I realized that I had drawn this bird once each month during the project. I resolved to break out of that pattern and be a little more adventurous from here on out. But just in case you were curious, here they are: January, February, and March.
Rhea
In stark contrast to the Snowy Owl Chick from the previous night, the Rhea is a hurried, ungraceful affair. I am not pleased.
Snowy Owl Chick
Of the whole year of birds, this is definitely one of my favorites. And it has been hard to choose favorites. But with this bird, I was able to capture such a intensity of expression and texture, that the end result surprised me. I love to be surprised by art, especially my own,
This is one of the few birds that I probably won’t sell, but will keep.
Red Winged Blackbird
Another great little Bay Area bird. These lively little birds frequent the park at the Berkeley Marina, where we go to walk the dog off-leash. They startle and fly from tree to tree. I love watching them.
I also think the Beatles song “Blackbird” is one of the loveliest songs ever written. It makes a very effective lullaby.
Magpie Goose
This one looks so coy.
Pintado Petrel
I kept it simple on this bird, almost an outline or silhouette.
Guianan Toucanet
According to the little web research I’ve done, a toucanet is also a toucan, but it’s a type of subspecies that is smaller in size. This guy struck me with his charming smile and bright beak. Plus, I got to break out the brush tip pen on his beak and black head feathers.
Egyptian Goose
I love his crazy one legged pose. He looks like he’s doing one of those classic cheesy martial arts stances that people make when they’ve never taken a martial arts class but watched a lot of Bruce Lee movies. This duck will clearly try to take you down. That is, if you’re not already on the floor laughing at his earnest bravado and goofy grin.
claire meyler 