...people love to paint birds!

Matty and I had a blast today teaching bird lovers how to draw and paint birds at the Little Miami Scenic River and Trail Center. I had no idea there were so many people who wanted to learn how to paint birds! We were swamped with artists of all ages all afternoon. I really enjoyed watching everyone's interpretations come to life on paper. Here are just a few of the artists and their creations...

...this dad had no idea he could paint. It was his first time to pick up a paintbrush!
I love this painting...a very cool rendering of a female Northern Cardinal. 

...focus and concentration...this little girl knew exactly how to bring her eagle to life.

...using the "two circles and a triangle" method made it easy to draw birds! 

...love these deep, rich colors. This little girl had a sharp eye for design.

...a software developer checked his analytical self at the door and got his art on. He opted for the "circle and triangle" bird drawing method and created his own design of a black-capped chickadee (this was his first time to paint and draw!). 

...and a mechanical engineer created this gorgeous Blue Jay by sketching out her own design too. Circles and triangles go a long way with birds. I love all of the shading and dimension.

These girls really worked hard and created beautiful paintings...while laughing and having fun too!

...diligently mixing paint to get the exact color. This young artist really enjoyed creating custom colors. She totally nailed the olive green that shows on a Hooded Warbler.

...sweet, sweet paintings. I love the way these sisters created their paintings of a White-breasted Nuthatch and a female Northern Cardinal. Beautiful!!!

All of these bird-loving artists took part in the free bird painting workshop Matty and I hosted at the Little Miami Scenic River and Trail Center on Sunday. Click here for yesterday's post to find out what it was all about and to learn more about Little Miami, Inc. (LMI) and the Little Miami Scenic River and Trail Center. I'm going to put another post together soon showing all of the cool stuff in the center and explain more of how LMI protects the Little Miami River...and some of the people behind the organization. More to come...

A free bird painting workshop along the Little Miami River...

If you are in downtown Loveland, OH this Sunday, July 28, stop by the Little Miami Scenic River and Trail Center and paint a few birds with me! Matty and I are volunteering this weekend to teach kids and adults how to paint birds...and it's free...

Paint brushes, acrylic paints, pallets, and water buckets all add up to fun in the park! 
(Matty and I went crazy buying all the supplies. There's plenty to go around!)

Because not everyone likes to draw, I've created a lot of coloring book style bird templates and patterns you can trace or copy and then paint. In other words, you don't have to be an artist to have fun painting!    Here are just a few of the bird patterns you can use...

                            Coloring book pattern of a Blue Jay

                        Coloring book pattern of an Eastern Bluebird

                  Coloring book pattern of a male Northern Cardinal 

                  Coloring book pattern of an American Bald Eagle 

I'll also show you a few tricks to draw birds quickly and easily...

Steps to draw a Black-capped Chickadee

Two steps to draw a simple bird shape

Class time and description
The workshop runs from 1:00 - 3:00, but it is not a structured class. We're going to follow a drop-in format...drop in any time, paint a few birds, and leave when you feel like it. You don't have to be there for the duration of the workshop, because we're just painting birds for fun.  No experience is necessary...kids and adults are welcome! 

The Little Miami Scenic River and Trail Center is located in downtown Loveland next to Nisbet Park along the bike trail. It is part of Little Miami, Inc. (LMI). LMI was founded in 1967 and has been the driving force behind protecting and restoring the Little Miami River. LMI owns over 100 nature preserves along the Little Miami and several of its tributaries. You can become a volunteer if you want to help protect the Little Miami River, or you can donate to the cause. Click here for more information on LMI. 

Little Miami Scenic River and Trail (LMI) Center

211 Railroad Avenue

Loveland, OH 45140

Hope to see you there!
Kelly Riccetti

...part 2 of the hungry little Green Heron

Part 2: I had so many cool photos of this juvenile Green Heron, I had to break the post into two installments (click here for part one). The video at the end shows him catching another fish and licking his chops again...

Head-on shot of a juvenile Green Heron. 

The Green Heron hears my camera shutter and gives me the stink eye!

Juvenile Green Heron Fishing from Kelly Riccetti on Vimeo.


Photos taken at the Ibis Pond rookery on Pinckney Island NWR in Hilton Head, SC June of 2012.

p.s. We just returned from Hawaii (Maui). I hope to have a few photos of those cool birds up soon.