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How to Draw Birds Masterclass with John Muir Laws and the National Audubon Society (Zoom)
Join the Bird Drawing Masterclass! A pencil, paper and viewing device are the only equipment required to participate in the classes, but we will be distributing handouts that you may find helpful to print out. These handouts will be linked here and to the Audubon class website the day before their respective class.
Another helpful resource for you is my book, The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds (published by Heyday).
Please Donate
These classes are available to you free of charge and will be recorded and shared for free. Please make a donation to John Muir Laws and to Audubon to support their conservation and education work.
Supplies
Please bring a pencil, paper (or your journal), colored pencils or watercolors, and a sense of humor!
Schedule
Classes will take place over Zoom Webinars and Facebook Live every other Tuesday in September at 12 PM – 1:30 PM (PST) as follows:
September 1: How to Make Bird Drawings Come Alive (recording available here) Do your bird drawings feel stiff or frozen? Unlock the life in your bird drawings by showing less and suggesting more. Learn advanced bird drawings techniques to help you simplify plumage and suggest detail with a few strokes. These techniques will bring more life to your birds and are essential for fast field sketching. Safety note, in accordance with COVID-19 safety guidelines, all the birds we draw will be masked (masked duck, masked finch, masked bobby, masked lapwing etc.)
Download the worksheet for the first class here: Masked Shrike
September 15: Rotating Birds and Drawing them at all Angles (recording available here) Say goodbye to static side views and draw birds every which way they land. A few basic visualization techniques will help you see the pose in the field and capture it on paper. In honor of Latino Heritage Month, we will be drawing from birds found in Central and South America.
September 29: Drawing Raptors and other Large Birds in Flight In this class, we will combine two critical elements, a functional understanding of bird structure, and key principles of foreshortening. Be sure to print out and fold the paper bird models before the class. They will help you see, understand, and draw flying birds and help solve key points of confusion.
Download, print, cut, and fold the bird models in this worksheet to use during the class. Download bird model worksheet here.