Laws Guide to Drawing Birds

John Muir Laws is a naturalist, educator, and artist with degrees in conservation and resource studies, wildlife biology, and scientific illustration. His books include The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada, The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds, The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling, and (with Emilie Lygren) How to Teach Nature Journaling, all published by Heyday. He is cofounder of the Wild Wonder Foundation, an organization encouraging nature connection through art and science. Visit his website at johnmuirlaws.com.David Allen Sibley is an American naturalist. He is the author and illustrator of The Sibley Guide to Birds (and several other books about birds), as well as The Sibley Guide to Trees.

"Tips that only an expert could provide are included throughout. Bird-watchers will be pleasantly surprised to discover how helpful this book can be toward fully seeing and understanding the birds they spot." —Library Journal"I have read through Jack Laws's Guide to Drawing Birds, and my only comment is that it is outstanding both from an artistic and ornithological perspective. I wish I had such a book when I first began to draw birds. Reading through the text and, more importantly, exploring his drawings and paintings, leads me through the visual journey that Jack took when he observed the subtle details of each bird. The book is well written, richly illustrated, and beautifully designed." —Robert Petty, Director of Field Support, Audubon"At some point, I expect more than a few birders have tried (or at least considered) drawing their favorite bird. There is something quite natural about wanting to do this. If you are one of these birders, and even if you are not, take a look at the newly published Guide to Drawing Birds, and find out why I believe it is a must-have book for artist-birders. For that matter, I think it has value for anyone who simply wishes to improve their skills of observation. There is a lot to celebrate in the pages of this book, trust me. It is truly a birder's guide to drawing." —10,000 birds"Best Bird Book Pick for the Holidays: perhaps the most visually stunning bird book of the year, an insanely beautiful and useful guide to not only drawing and painting but seeing birds." —The Birdchaser"If you've ever even remotely considered drawing birds, you will find Guide to Drawing Birds eye opening, and then essential." —The Birder's Library"This instruction book on drawings birds is everything I had wanted and so much more. It never gets boring and doesn't speak over the level of beginners like me." —Birding is Fun!"Even those who may not consider themselves qualified to wield a pencil for anything more than writing a grocery list might well come to discover just how enjoyable and effective as a learning exercise sketching birds can be … The techniques he demonstrates can be applied in as rudimentary or as polished a form as one likes. Whether one's drawings are merely augmentations to field notes or developed into fine artistic renderings, the essentials skills needed to produce them are the same. Laws presents these skills in easy-to-understand chapters, including an entire section devoted to what is perhaps the most commonly misunderstood element in avian locomotion: flight." —BirdWatcher's Digest"Naturalist John Muir Laws has produced more than a guide to the techniques of drawing. He has drawn on a lifetime of work in conservation and wildlife biology to connect drawing with the actual lives of the birds." —Examiner.com"A beautiful new book … not simply for 'gifted artists' but for anyone who wants to heighten their appreciation of birds and nature." —Golden Gate Birder"Tired of merely watching birds? Ever consider trying to draw them? There s a method to do so. John Muir Laws is very good at this and he's written a book that can help you get started, maybe even become good at it yourself." —National Geographic Society"A good introduction for those wanting to learn how to draw birds." —The Guardian (UK)"Guide to Drawing Birds is a fine recommendation for any involved in drawing, birds, or birdwatching and any crafts or arts collection will want it. It's devoted not to the art but to the natural history and postures of birds, blending techniques with keys to observing birds and capturing them using field sketches which then can be developed further off field. From using colored pencils to avoiding common problems in bird drawing, this is packed with step-by-step color illustrations throughout." —Midwest Book Review"I would highly recommend this book to someone … who'd like to be less intimidated by the thought of drawing birds." —National Parks Traveller"John Muir Laws has created a quintessential field guide for drawing birds that can be used by people of all skill levels, young and old. This book could cause a renaissance of the illustrated journals and sketchbooks of earlier times." —San Francisco Book Review

• AcknowledgementsForeword by David Allen SibleyBird Drawing BasicsThe Joy of Drawing BirdsDraw a Bird in Six StepsPosture, the First LineProportionHead PositionAnglesEverything Follows ShapeStep by Step: WarblerStep by Step: SparrowMastering Bird AnatomySongbird BillsCranial KinesisFeather Groups vs. MarkingsStep by Step: Drawing Head DetailsTurning HeadsHead AnglesBody FeathersSuggesting FeathersFeathers of the ChestChest PatternsBack FeathersWings and the Automatic Linkage SystemSpread Your WingsWing TricksWing ProportionsStep by Step: Drawing WingsTechnical PointsSuggesting Wing DetailTail Shape and StructureMoving and Foreshortening TailsThe Thigh Bone's Connected to the ...How to Balance Your BirdsUnderstanding Bird FeetSimplifying Bird FeetLeg Position and AngleBird Leg DetailsWindows of the SoulIridescenceDetails and Tips for Common BirdsBirds of PreyRaptor AnatomyRaptor Body FeathersStep by Step: Peregrine WatercolorDrawing WaterfowlThe Angles of Heads and TailsDuck DetailsDuck HeadsWaterfowl in MotionStep by Step: Ruddy DuckWorking with WadersWader HeadsStep by Step: Shorebird Value StudyHummingbird HelperBird in FlightBuild a Flight FrameAngled Flight FramesAnother Angle on WingsWing Tip TipsMake a Flight ModelSketching Small Birds in FlightUnderwing AnatomyStep by Step: Raven in FlightField SketchingGo Outside and DrawField Sketching Is Not Field Guide ArtWorking in the FieldField Sketching ZenDrawing Moving BirdsBirds in HabitatTravel SketchingDocumenting Rare SpeciesMaterials and TechniquesKeys to Better DrawingObserving Light and ShadowPlanes and TextureUsing Negative SpaceCombining ShapesHow to Show DepthA Few of My Favorite ThingsFast Sketching CombinationsA Portable Watercolor PalettePaper SelectionPainting on Toned PaperColor Theory HeresyReinventing the WheelUsing Colored PencilsStep by Step: Colored Pencil WarblerStep by Step: Mixed-Media Stellar's JayWatercolor ChoicesWatercolor TechniquesMixing Complementary ColorsStep by Step: Mixed-Media European StarlingUsing Reference MaterialBibliographyList of IllustrationsAbout the Author