Page:Drawing for Beginners.djvu/125

 and form, with that clumsy, soft, noiseless bird of the night&mdash;the owl. An owl is a good introduction to the study of birds; he has one invaluable asset&mdash;tracked to his lair by day, he can be observed quite closely. His is a simple and comparatively easy-to-observe shape, as he sits huddled on his perch, blinking his eyes, a quaint compact oblong form, from which depends a soft blunted tail; with shoulders humped up to his neck, head large and square, and talons well tucked under the soft breast feathers.

Mark the large hood-like shape of the head, the curious mask effect of the face from which the tiny beak emerges, and the eyes, large, round, and heavily lidded, and encircled by rays of softest feathers. Mark the rich dark shadows of the eye, beak, and talon with a firm touch. Because&mdash;and this is an important fact when we are drawing birds&mdash;it is by the insistence upon such shadows, the soft depth of the eye, and the strong curve of the beak, and the lines of the tail and the wings, that we obtain our effects.

When drawing birds try to keep your touch crisp, firm, and light. Birds suggest delicacy more than strength. The bird on the wing has something of the buoyancy of the air through which he flies.

Consider the bony framework of the bird. The small head and pointed beak with which it cleaves the air, the long neck (having twice the number of bones of a human being's), the oblong boat-shape of the breast-bone, ribs, and back, the length of the legs, back curved, and, above all, the large armor wing-bones somewhat resembling the zigzag shape of the last letter of the alphabet&mdash;a large Z.

When sketching birds take a broad observation. Embrace the whole shape in a glance, and sketch that shape. Sketch the slimness of its body; if it is a bird such as the swallow, perching and at rest, sketch the balance of its legs and feet, the angle of its head; notice the way in which the wings fold across its back and the tail depends. Then mark the position of the eye with regard to the beak, the shape of the beak itself, the short curve of the upper bill compared with