Bird Brains

We’ve recently extended our family to the tune of 5 chickens and a cockerel; it seems fitting that the first day I’ve tried to draw them is today, Laura’s ‘Draw a Bird Day’. Lucky for me!

I’ve done a lot of looking at these guys since they arrived with us a week ago. Their dinosaur heritage is clear to see, particularly in the long-legged cockerel. And I love the way the girls’ skirts billow out as they run towards you in the hopes of food. The birds are full of character, and each has his or her little ways. One’s bossy, another’s sly, this one is timid and easily led and that one is bold beyond wisdom… perhaps just like people?

Anyway, out came the brown paper sketchbook for a first go. I thought I was just going to do this in black fineliner and white Conte crayon, but once I got stuck in it seemed that colour was called for, so the Tombows came into the mix too. Because the paper’s so thin, you don’t get much of a watercolour effect from the pens, more of a felt-tip feel. But still, it was fun to get some colour onto the paper.

For those who are interested in chickens, the two fat red hens are bog-standard hybrid layers, the multi-coloured cockerel is an Old English Game bird, and the little black hen is a Silver Sussex. So there you go. I think it’s likely that there will be more chicken-related posts coming up, as we get used to each other.