This is more than a guide to drawing birds it is also an introduction to the lives, forms, and postures of the birds themselves. An imaginative field instruction book for really seeing and drawing birds by the bestselling author of the innovative field guides on the Sierra and San Francisco Bay.
John Muir Laws' guide to drawing birds is itself winged, soaring between a devotion 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. As Laws writes, "To draw feathers, you must understand how feathers grow, overlap, and insert into the body. To create the body, you must have an understanding of the bird's skeletal structure. To pose this skeleton, you must be able to perceive the energy, intention, and life of the bird." This how-to guide will perfect the technique of serious artists but also, perhaps more importantly, it will provide guidance for those who insist they can't draw. Leading the mind and hand through a series of detailed exercises, Laws delivers what he promises: that "drawing birds opens you to the beauty of the world."
''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"
Heyday Books
Pub Date: April 01, 2015
0.4" H x 10.9" L x 8.4" W
128 pages
paperback