Sunday, February 15, 2009

The only way I’m going to get a Pine Siskin in my yard…

…is if I draw one and tie it to a branch with a string!

Oooh…look! A Pine Siskin at Kelly’s house!

So yesterday, after completing my second day of backyard bird counting, I grabbed my colored pencils and drew one.

I always begin my paintings or drawings 
with a very light pencil sketch.

Since I’m using colored pencils for 
this study, the next thing I do is map 
in the darks. I leave the whitest areas blank 
(just like with a watercolor).

Then I start layering in color 
(again, pretty much like a watercolor).

Finally, I start burnishing and 
adding finishing touches. 


Yes, I promise I won’t count this Pine Siskin in the Great Backyard Bird Count going on this weekend!

…I bet I’m going to have to draw that Common Redpoll and the Rufous-sided (I mean Eastern) Towhee also because they certainly aren’t flocking to my yard now!

7 comments:

Kim said...

Kelly!!! I can't get over how great those are!!!! OMG! I wish I could draw like that.

Please draw some redpolls for me too. I desperately need them in my yard too. ;o)

Very impressive.

Roy said...

Wow! You can certainly draw! Great likeness.

And give it a couple of months on the real bird. They'll start wandering south in greater numbers then.

Kelly said...

Thanks, guys! I'll just keep putting out thistle in my five thistle feeders and hope for the best! I know I'll have to draw the other two birds too. My brother called me and thought I should leave it in the tree as a decoy to lure one in ;-)

Chris said...

Very funny this siskins, and beautiful drawing job... You are an artist!!!

Warren Baker said...

I wish I could draw kelly. You certainly have got a talent.

RuthieJ said...

Wow Kelly, you're quite the artist. I would leave that pine siskin out as a decoy also.
Great post! Here's my face as I was reading it :-D

Kelly said...

Thanks, Chris, Warren and Ruthie! I love to draw birds...and write about them...a bird crazy girl...or Crazy Bird Girl (glad I thought about "Red and the Peanut" for a blog name before coming up with "Crazy Bird Girl").