With a little help from Vivek Khanzode’s website https://www.birdpixel.com, John Muir Laws explores the different feather groups on a bird’s wing, and then demonstrates how to simplify drawing the wing as a whole. “Show less than you know” – if you know where the different parts are on the wing, then that will show you Read More
Category: Art Technique
Drawing Black and White (Nov. 2, 2023)
How do we draw and paint things that are black and white? Let’s explore techniques with watercolor and pencil. (Class session 2 Nov. 2023) Read More
Bird Illustration Walkthrough (Feb. 8, 2024)
Join me as I create an illustration (or two) for the next edition of The Laws Guide to Sierra Birds. In this class, I will create a finished bird illustration for my upcoming book, demonstrate the use of transfer paper, and combine colored pencil and watercolor techniques. (Class of Feb. 8th 2024) Read More
Rendering Different Textures (Aug. 30, 2022)
In this “Ask Jack” session, John Muir Laws demonstrates how to render different textures using tricks of light and shadow. More techniques come out to play during the group share after the main session. (30 August 2022) Read More
Light and Shadows
Painting shadows with lively colors or on light blue objects is challenging. Let John Muir Laws show you his tricks. (Sept 2022) Read More
Find Your Inner Birdcasso! (Mar. 30, 2023)
Today John Muir Laws is joined by special guest Matthew Dodder, a nature and science educator and leader from the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society. Matthew shares his inspiring bird art and his approach to colored pencils to creating dynamic portraits of birds. (April 2023) To learn more about the SCVAS’s month-long event, the Birdathon, Read More
Drawing Birds with Debby Kaspari (Mar. 16, 2023)
Join John Muir Laws and special guest Debby Kaspari as they talk birds and dive into Debby’s journals and mindset. Hear Debby’s journey to being a bird artist, as well as her tips and tricks for drawing birds in the field. (Mar. 2023) Debby Kaspari’s website: https://drawingthemotmot.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/debbykaspari/ To learn more about Debby’s upcoming Read More
Birds in Colored Pencil with Jordan Silvia (Mar. 23, 2023)
Join John Muir Laws and special guest Jordan Silvia! Jordan demonstrates how she uses colored pencils to create vibrant and detailed bird illustrations, as well as shares invaluable tips for how to get the most out of your colored pencils. To learn more about Jordan Silvia and follow her work: https://www.jordansilviaart.com/ https://www.instagram.com/jordansilvia_art/ https://www.twitch.tv/jordansilvia_art Read More
Post-Hawk Page Composition
John Muir Laws takes us inside his nature journals and demonstrates one of his best practices: post-hawk compositions – or rather, “what to do after the hawk has flown away.” As a powerful means for information review and refresh (bonus concept: the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve), working on your pages post-hawk will help you organize what Read More
Class: Learn to Draw Water with John Muir Laws
MAY 20, 2023, 10am-12pm Pacific Time. ONLINE Join award-winning artist, author, educator, and scientist John Muir Laws, aka Jack, for this fun, engaging, and empowering class on capturing water in your nature journal—from mountain streams to still lakes to wild waterfalls. In this 2-hour live online class, you will learn how to draw landscapes with Read More