Pileated Woodpecker
March 17, 2014 § 2 Comments
I’m posting sequentially the stages of a drawing of a pileated woodpecker scavenging for bugs in a tree stump. This first posting is the contour. It provides the framework for the drawing. It reveals the light source, a sense of form or depth, and allows my personality to flow out onto the page. Next will come the watercolor washes and finally the colored pencil to give greater clarity to the composition. This bird is majestic especially in flight and is quite reclusive in nature. My daughter and son in law were lucky to spot it in their yard.
Dr. Mary McNaughton and Drawing 
Beautiful! Can’t wait to see the next stages!
Thank you so much!! I teach using the contour as the framework for drawing; the key. When my students learn to understand the blind contour or letting the hand become an extension of the eye, then the contour becomes a powerful tool. It reveals the light source, the composition, a sense of form, and most importantly, the personality of the artist.