Written and Illustrated by John Muir Laws, Foreword by David Allen Sibley

Drawing birds opens a world of beauty and sharpens our ability to observe accurately and deeply. The ability to draw is not a gift you are born with but a skill that anyone can develop with the right techniques! 

John Muir Law's guide to drawing birds is itself winged, devoted not only to art but also to the lives, forms and postures of the birds themselves. Here, artistic technique and the exquisite details of natural history intertwine, and drawing becomes the vehicle for seeing.

The how-to guide will enhance the skills of serious artists, but perhaps more importantly, it will provide guidance for those who believe they can't draw. Leading the mind and hand through a series of detailed exercises that have been refined in hundreds of workshops, Laws delivers what he promises - that "drawing birds opens you to the beauty of the world". 

With this guide, you will learn to:

• focus on the most important aspects of a bird in a quick sketch.
• suggest the texture of bird feathers.
• observe and capture critical proportions of different species.
• understand and accurately depict a bird’s wing.
• draw bird beaks, eyes and feet.
• foreshorten and rotate your drawings to any angle.
• render the angles and curves of birds with long necks.
• draw birds in flight.
• develop techniques for adding color with colored pencil or watercolor.
• sketch in the field when your subject can move or fly away.
• avoid common pitfalls in bird drawing.