SKETCHBOOK: "Birds of Prey"

 Last Saturday, I made another trip to the Natural History Museum at KU, in Lawrence KS.  I had been wanting to draw some of the bird displays for some time...will definitely go back for more.  Above is the American Kestrel "Falco Sparverius".  The sketch above was actually the last one of the three I drew that day... my usual pen and ink and washes (my preferred choice).

Below is the Northern Goshawk "Accipiter Gentilis"...tried some pencils on brown craft paper...not so pleased with how the washes just soaked in like a sponge.  Will keep looking for brown stock that I can sketch and paint on...though I have used a book made for "archiving" with fair results on the watercolors.

Last is the Cooper's Hawk "Accipiter Cooperii"...again done with pencils and washes.  I know some folks are not fond of the taxidermy approach to looking at animals.  But I have yet to get a real, live hawk to sit so still for me while I drew them.