Join accomplished wildlife artist Alan Woollett as he guides you through drawing a detailed, lifelike bullfinch using colored pencils. Along the way you’ll discover line drawing essentials such as transferring, layering, blending and more.
Class Sessions
Initial Drawing
16:53
Meet Alan and start class with an overview of three essential colored pencil techniques: sketching, tracing, and transferring. Discover how to achieve accurate proportions, turn your sketch into a refined line drawing and easily transfer it to final paper.
Branch & Background
24:16
Start your bird portrait by drawing the branch and background. Find out how to layer colors to create a dimensional, textured branch and an interesting background that won’t detract from your subject.
Head
9:04
Draw the head, eyes and beak. Alan shares useful techniques for achieving lifelike facial features and detailed feathers on the head and cheek.
Back, Shoulder & Breast
17:54
Move on to the back, shoulders and breast. See how to transition seamlessly between body parts to create textured, directional feathers and recreate the white spot on the chest without relying on a white pencil.
Feet, Wings & Tail
16:14
Draw the feet, wings and tail to finish up your portrait. Learn an easy method to make the feet appear as if they’re actually grabbing the branch. Plus get tips on accurately depicting wing feathers and a realistic-looking tail.
Variations
27:46
Wrap things up by exploring some fun ideas and variations to customize your drawing and future projects.
Your Instructor
Alan Woollett
Alan Woollett resides in Kent, England, where he graduated from the Kent Institute of Art and Design in 1993. He quickly ventured into wildlife art, particularly drawing and painting birds, a lifelong passion. In 1999 Alan was Birdwatch Magazine’s Bird Artist of the Year. His work has also been featured in publications, collections and exhibitions around the world, including the Society of Wildlife Artists, the National Exhibition of Wildlife Art and, most recently, the Birds in Art Exhibition at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wisconsin.
Bonus Material
Colored Pencil Bird Portraites - Supplies and References
Bonus Materials available for download after purchase.
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