Drawing Hawks in Flight

There are three things to catch in your first fast sketch. The posture, proportions, and angles. Start with the simple shapes first and build from there. In a circling hawk you may be able to build a compound picture from several different views. If you only get a quick look, do the best you can. I can only hold an image in my memory for a few seconds before needing to refresh with the real bird. You may get an angle of a wing, proportions of a tail or some other detail. You do not have to draw the whole bird if you do not remember what you saw. Drawing hawks in flight is a great way to train yourself to look more carefully at the birds you see.

Click on the first image to start the step by step slide show.