National Draw A Bird Day

Starling, from photo

I drew this iridescent starling for National Draw A Bird Day last year, from a photo shared by artist (and naturalist) Cathy Johnson. The bird had a piece of corn on its beak, I think.

Sketching is as much permission to gaze as it is permission to draw. I developed a new appreciation for the creativity God put into the lowly starling. (Looks like I got confused about the species!) This is the first sketch I remember trying to figure out the best medium for the subject. I ended up choosing colored pencils.

Related tutorial: Anna Mason, How to paint shiny colored feathers in watercolor