These birds have crazy huge feet. They live in ponds and walk around on waterlilies. They have these massive toes to evenly distribute their weight so they won’t sink. It’s so clever. And also, they have a crazy beak wattle blob thing, which is always fun to draw.
I am proud of this one, good eyes, good lines, not overworked.
According to my two seconds of googling, the harpy eagle is the largest and most powerful raptor in the Americas, and one of the largest in the world. So his glare is well deserved. Do not mess with him. He will back up that threat with some muscle and sharp bits.
Colorful little bird. They are only 4 inches long.
Fun fact: the pitohui is the first documented poisonous bird. Like poison-dart frogs, these birds eat toxic beetles which adds neurotoxins to their feathers and skin. So if you’re ever in New Guinea or thereabouts, and you see one of these guys, don’t lick it. Or touch it.
I was shying away from drawing a penguin because they are just too damned cute. It’s impossible not to draw a cute penguin. And I am leery of getting to cutesy.
But by this time, the baby vibes were really getting to my pregnant head. We had just crossed over Mother’s Day, and I was secretly smiling to myself that I was a mommy-to-be (but not telling anyone). So I drew this mommy & baby adorableness the day after Mother’s Day as an homage to mother’s love.
I know, it’s “aw” inducing, isn’t it?
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.
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.
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.
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.
claire meyler 