The official state bird of my official state. We have such a silly looking state bird.
BTW, I did other state birds, too. Louisiana, Alaska, Iowa and New Jersey – and several other states come later in the year.
California Quail
bird
Young Ostrich
Awkward baby chicks + brush tip pen = happy fun drawing time.
Great Horned Owl
Gorgeous. I like this one so much, I recently set it aside to frame for myself. So when all the others are sold off at art shows, this will be one of the few I save to enjoy at home. The rest can fly away free.
I think this one is successful because I knew when to stop fussing with it. I like how the chest feathers fade away into the space for the name, initials, and date.
American Avocet
This guy looks like a snob, with his upturned beak. Between the upturned beak and the black and white feathers, I find myself anthropomorphizing him into a snooty waiter, like at an upscale French restaurant.
Baby African Gymogene
Again with the babies. I had a lot of fun drawing wispy hairs on this guy.
Duck
This was a National Geographic find. I love this little guy, curiously sticking his bill into the camera. It was a fun perspective to draw.
Baby Penguin in Blue Shoes
Ok, seriously. This is a cute frickin’ bird. How can you look at this bird and *not* squeal?! I found a baby penguin wearing little blue shoes. What?!
Ok, I know – at the beginning of the year, I said that I really didn’t want to draw baby birds or penguins because they were just too damned “cute.” And cute makes me squirm, because on some level I still don’t want to be mistaken for a girly-girl. Well, what can I say? I was pregnant when I drew this. There is nothing more lady-ish than procreation. It’s kind of what we’re built for. It brought out all my girl-ness. And now I can’t put it back. Bring on the cute.
Merlin Falcon
I like the way I combined colored pencil and pen on this one.
Scarlet Ibis
Although I chose a bird that I thought would be delightful to draw, this is not one of my best illustrations. It’s just stiff and flat. I stopped before became stiff and overworked, which can sometimes be a danger due to my perfectionist tendencies. Sometimes, you need to know when to walk away. Sorry, Mr. ibis.
claire meyler 