Brush Up On Birds

When you draw or paint something, you notice things you may not have seen before. That’s why Leonardo grew up to be a great artist and a great scientist. He was one of the first artists to draw things exactly as he saw them in nature. While sketching and painting birds, he learned a lot about their anatomy, or body structure.

Materials

• Watercolor paints
• Paintbrush
• Cup of water
• Absorbent paper

Play with your paints! Get used to holding your brush and trying different strokes. See what it’s like to use a little water or a lot on your brush. Mix paints to get new colors. Then, take your tools outside. Sit in your yard near a bird feeder or go to a park or the zoo—anyplace where you can find birds. Sit quietly until a bird lands nearby to model for you.

For the head, dab a wet brush into the paint. Hold the brush so it is vertical (straight up and down) to the paper. Press it down, and then twist it to

the right with your fingers. (These instructions are for right-handed artists. If you’re left-handed, just reverse them.) To paint the bird’s breast, dab some more paint on the brush and hold it horizontally (sideways) to the paper. Place it on the paper and pull it down toward you. For the wing, hold the brush vertically, press it down and draw it toward you. Taper off at the end by lifting up your hand. Paint the tail feathers by starting at the end of the tail. Hold the brush vertically and touch just the tip of it to the paper. Paint up toward the body. Fill in the details of the bird’s legs, feet, and beak. Look for the distinctive markings and paint them in, using just a small amount of paint on the brush. Some birds have black eye masks and some have striped winds. Some birds have spotted breasts—hold the brush vertically and dot the paint on the paper. To paint streaked markings, hold the brush the same way and make very small lines. You’ll see that birds come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes.