#DrawingBirds #NetGalley

The book looks generally very good. The techniques are useful and well explained with useful tips.

Just look at those drawings on the cover. I want to draw like that but I refuse to just copy them from 3-step tutorials, they just don't feel like my own. That is why I got quite excited when I saw this book. It didn't disappoint. If you want to draw birds that are standing (or flying) right in front of you, this is the book. It has a lot of illustrations and sketches made by British illustrator Raymond Sheppard, that will guide you through the process of visually analyzing and sketching birds.

The book starts with general information about bird anatomy for artists, with special attention to feathers, wings, beaks and feet. Then the book is divided by different kinds of bird studies. In each one, the author talks about how he approaches drawing them, their most prominent anatomical characteristics and their gestures. Some of the groups represented are: ducks (water birds), starlings, raven, heron, kingfisher, birds of prey, flightless birds, domestic birds, among many others. Through these categories you can learn to draw birds in all kinds of situations and with a wide variety of characteristics, habits and environments. There is also help for setting a good background for your bird illustrations.

Fair to mention that this is not a step-by-step book or a drawing basics guide for the one-day hobbyist, you need to get out and practice, not just sit and follow the images from its pages. This book works best for those who want to draw birds from real life or museums and portrait their natural essence, regardless of the media used or level of basic skills.
*I requested (right away!) an eArc from Dover Publications in exchange of a fair review Thank you!

I received a free copy of this book through #netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I quite enjoyed this book and found it helpful. It gives detailed drawings and explanations of the anatomy, structure, patterns of flight, plumage, etc of various kinds of birds.

It is written for immediate and expert level artists. It encourages drawing live birds that amateurs would not be able to capture. Some of the negative reviews of this book are given by newbie artists who need to study the basics of drawing first, before tackling live and fast-moving subjects like birds. This book does not cover supplies, shading, basic forms that an amateur would need to know first.

If you are like me who who has some experience drawing and wants to be challenged to the next level from drawing still life to a live subject, this is for you. The author explains the facts behind bird anatomy to help the readers better understand how to interpret what they see into a two-dimensional drawing. I cannot wait to out into practice what I learned from this book.

"Drawing Birds" is an art book combining the author's guides "How to Draw Birds" and "More Birds to Draw." He assumed that the reader already knows how to draw, so he didn't cover topics like tools or techniques. Rather, he provided tips on how to accurately draw birds.

He started by explaining bird anatomy, from wings to beaks to feet. Then he talked about specific types of birds, like ducks, eagles, ravens, etc. He gave information about each bird like you'd find in a nature book plus some tips about how to capture the bird's pose and personality. For each bird covered, he provided a page full of studies he's done, ranging from rough sketches to detailed portraits.

He also provided tips on how to make a bird in the water or air look natural and how to quickly capture the bird's body shape and stance. Overall, it's an informative book and has lovely bird drawings, but it's probably of limited use to complete beginners.

Found "Drawing Birds" a very approachable work detailing how to illustrate varying species of birds. Raymond Sheppard's zest for documenting the free spirit of birds on paper soars through the entire work.

Excellent reference material for artists of all levels.