Draw A Bird Day – A Birdy Sketchbook

Myriam (Myr's Bytes)

Happy draw-a-bird day! It has been a while since I posted. I’ve been feeling unwordy. I did get around to posting a few photos on Instagram.

J and I moved to Burlington, Ontario from Edmonton, Alberta in early July. The birds, the vegetation and the humidity are quite different here! Burlington is near Toronto, on the west end of Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes.

I usually draw on single sheets of paper, so that my drawing table and paper are at the same height and my fear of making an ugly drawing is much smaller. However, since moving would result in limited access to and chaotic rearrangement of our belongings, I thought a thin sketchbook would make grabbing a moment to draw more feasible. And I gave myself permission to make nice, mediocre or ugly drawings!

My first few drawings felt awkward but now sketching feels more natural. I’m trying to sketch a variety of bird species, to get familiar with different bird shapes. Some day, I’d like to be able to draw an approximate heron, chicken, swallow, goose, etc. from memory. The high quality photos on eBird are a frequent source of inspiration. Last week, I drew 6 birds, 3 from my own eBird photos and 3 from other photographers.

12 Comments

    1. Thanks, Melissa! That’s so encouraging to read! I’m glad you mentioned the importance of drawing from my own photos a while back, and since then, I’ve taken note of many artists working from their own photos. It is a special and personal way to express one’s experiences and share them with others. 😊

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      1. Yes it is indeed. Nothing deepens our understanding of the world around us, or of ourselves, like making direct observations and recording them in our own way.

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