The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds

John Muir Laws's guide to drawing birds is itself winged, soaring between a devotion not only to art but also to the lives, forms, and postures of the birds themselves. Here, artistic technique and the exquisite details of natural history intertwine, and drawing becomes the vehicle for seeing. This how-to guide will perfect the technique of serious artists but also, perhaps more importantly, it will provide guidance for those who insist they can't draw. Leading the mind and hand through a series of detailed exercises.

Learn how to:

• focus on the most important aspects of a bird in a quick sketch.
• suggest the texture of bird feathers.
• observe and capture critical proportions of different species.
• understand and accurately depict a bird’s wing.
• draw bird beaks, eyes and feet.
• foreshorten and rotate your drawings to any angle.
• render the angles and curves of birds with long necks.
• draw birds in flight.
• develop techniques for adding color with colored pencil or watercolor.
• sketch in the field when your subject can move or fly away.
• avoid common pitfalls in bird drawing.