Try a white colored pencil on dry watercolor for fast wing details. Bird wing feathers often have pale lines along the edges of the primaries and secondaries. Click on the first image to start a step-by-step slideshow demonstration to get this effect in seconds. Materials used: Sepia prismacolor pencil, White prismacolor pencil, watercolors (Daniel Smith).
Block in the body shape with light lines. Focus on proportions. How big is the head relative to the body? What is the angle of the back and chest?
Block in major feather tracks without drawing in every feather.
Add shadows on the lower belly and where the wing creates a shadow on the flanks.
Starting with the lighter colors, begin to build up areas of color.
Develop the greens. Since watercolors are transparent, some of the yellow glow will show through green layers painted over it, making the green brighter.
Don’t be afraid to push your darks. Avoid the anemic watercolor by punching your values in some areas of your drawing.
Paint the gray of the wings, leaving white wing bars.
Let the wing color dry then add feather edges with a white colored pencil. Bam! 30 seconds of work and you have a wing.
Continue using the white colored pencil to add texture on the back and breast.
Crisp up edges, facial details, and darks on the wings with a dark pencil (I used a dark brown sepia pencil).