If molasses could sketch, it would do so at the same rate as I do. This is a problem mostly when I try to sketch crowds of people, highway traffic, bee hives, and… BIRDS!
I love birds but gosh they won’t sit still. Audubon had a solution. It was called a shotgun, but I’m an urban sketcher and, even if I were so inclined, me thinks the authorities might frown on that method. So what can a molasses sketcher do? Ah HA, says I. A solution I have found. Here’s what you do:
1) Get a 12″ x 12″ piece of 3/4″ pine. Home Depot is a good source. 2) Using a scroll saw, cut out the profile of the bird you want to draw. 3) Paint it in suitable colors. I recommend Sibley’s Field Guide to Birds for color reference. 4) Drill a 1/2″ hole in the bottom edge of the cutout. 5) Shove a 1/2″ dowel into the hole. 6) Go to your garden and shove the 1/2″ dowel into the ground. 7) Get a nice cold drink, a lawn chair with a glass-holder, and sit down in front of your bird. 8) Draw your bird as slowly as you like. Life is sweet.
Monologue A6 sketchbook (4×6), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black
🙂