Back in the studio, I’ll look through all the reference I’ve gathered to decide which of my experiences I want to depict at that particular moment. While on location, I also gather as much reference as possible, from photographs to actual specimens - fallen feathers, fur, grasses and the like. I tend to travel to where my subjects live so I can observe their behaviors and interactions within their natural habitats. It’s this complexity - combined with the subtleties of mood and environment - that I attempt to capture in my drawings and paintings. I’ve always been intrigued by nature’s intricate details. Red-Breasted Nuthatch (graphite and acrylic, 12×9) Kitler shares easy techniques and expert tips on how to draw birds.

You’ll learn how to create beautiful paintings of realistic birds in impressionist natural settings that are full of color and void of complications. And when you are done with that, you’ll be ready to add luscious paint, which is where the Essentials of Painting Birds comes in. Here David Kitler shows us how to draw a bird with a ton of attitude in just ten steps. Take birds as your subject matter and you discover the fun of color and texture … and attitude!

Birds are a constant companion for many of us and yet we can forget to explore them in our art. Not when you consider the birds in your backyard or the pigeons on the sidewalk or seagulls cawing at you if you live along the coast. Wherever you live, you likely don’t live alone.

How do you draw a bird