On the sketch paper, use the HB pencil to draw 1” squares making an 6” x 7” grid. Using an HB pencil, lightly draw the bird square by square. Then trace it with an ink pen before transferring the sketch to your Bristol paper with the HB pencil.
Use a black colored pencil to color the eye, leaving the top white for the reflection. Then use an ultramarine blue pencil and color just above the black. Burnish from the top down with white.
For the beak, use 70% cool gray on the dark areas, black for the darkest areas, blending the two with white. For the head, use crimson red to lightly color the whole red area. Follow that with permanent red, using a little more pressure. Then use crimson lake and black for the dark areas.
For the wings and tail, use cobalt blue to very lightly color the black areas. Add a layer of 70% cool gray and black for the darkest areas. Then burnish with white. For the white part at the end of the wing, use a lighter cool gray to add the lines where the feathers overlap.
For the belly, use 10% cool gray, then 70% cool gray and light umber. Burnish with white. For the feet, use 70% cool gray and black, blending with white.
Then for the branch, use sandbar brown, chocolate, sienna brown, and black. Make quick, straight strokes with the pencil to give the branch texture. Go over that lightly with white. And finally for the background, use a couple different shades of green chalk pastels or regular chalk. Apply them with a soft brush, and you’re done.
