Yesterday I went to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) to sketch some of their stuffed birds.

As much as I love seeing a bird in the wild ... ie; alive ... this is a great way to get up close and personal to see how they're put together - how the feathers grow, how the wings fold up so neatly, like an umbrella, and the actual size of the different species - something that can be difficult to gauge when looking through binoculars or using photo reference. Even if I'm not drawing a bird "life-size" I like having an awareness of how they fit into their world - like the hummingbirds whose bodies are literally the size of my thumb! So teensy!



I loved the woodpecker (above↑) - a Magellanic Woodpecker, of southern South America. I'm thinking he'll end up in a painting. He has this lovely strong profile with his shaggy crest and strong beak (plus he has a flame red head, on a jet black body with just a smattering of white on the wings - so dynamic). These kinds of interesting design elements really appeal to me when I'm choosing subject matter.

The feathers of museum specimens aren't always as glossy and preened as on a healthy, live bird - nor the colours as bright and accurate - but it's so helpful to study them. I find the more I know and understand about the subject, the easier it is to draw it - it's not that I want to draw every minute detail, but having a better understanding actually frees me up to make choices of what to include, or to be able to draw it at whatever angle I want.



And I love making little discoveries - like the delicate and unusual tail feathers on the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (the last sketch, just above ↑) - I've seen them in the wild many times, just never close enough to notice that. Apparently the central shaft very stiff, allowing them to use it for extra support as they hammer away at the tree (they're a type of woodpecker). We don't have woodpeckers in Australia, so it's such a novelty being in North America now and getting to see all these different birds and animals.

Such a nice way to spend an afternoon ... next time I'm taking a camera and a folding chair. And my iPod - those school groups are loud.

Tags: Royal Ontario Museum, drawing, birds