Because I spend so much time looking for and using photo reference, I have had to learn to cope with inadequate images. Here are a three lessons I’ve learned that help me to get good results even when the photo doesn’t show everything I’d like it to. Lesson One: The more you know about bird … Read More
![Gifts for Bird Artists: The Definitive Guide [2020]](https://tarakatedesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/alex-iby-zWbSfYMHgpo-unsplash-1-800x600.jpg "Gifts for Bird Artists: The Definitive Guide [2020]")
What gift should you get for a bird artist? Whether the person on your list is a beginner or a seasoned professional, there’s something on this gift list that will make your bird-loving artist gasp with delight! And if you know a birder, you’re in luck—lots of these gifts will make a bird watcher happy, … Read More
As a bird artist, I am constantly trying to improve my understanding of how birds are put together! That’s because the better I know my subject, the more realistic my results. In this post, I show how varying the perspective on the bill can help you see the volume and complex shapes that are often … Read More
![10 Great Photos for Bird Artists [Wikimedia Commons]](https://tarakatedesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Swallow-tailed_bee-eater_Merops_hirundineus_chrysolaimus.jpg "10 Great Photos for Bird Artists [Wikimedia Commons]")
Hey there bird-loving artist! Did you know that there are hundreds of gorgeous photos of birds on Wikimedia Commons? And they are all free for you to use, although most require attribution to the photographer—a small price to pay. Here are ten of my favorites. I chose these images especially for bird artists based on … Read More
For a very long time, I struggled to get accurate proportions in my drawings of birds. Despite my efforts to improve as a bird artist, I seemed to get nowhere! Then I stumbled on The Artist’s Compete Guide to Figure Drawing by Anthony Rider. While not directly related to drawing birds, I found Rider’s approach … Read More
Inktober is about to begin! Here’s a sneak peak of what I’ve been working on. When the official Inktober 2020 prompts came out, as a bird artist I didn’t feel especially inspired. While I can see how some of the suggestions could be stretched to include birds, most of them seemed a bit too far … Read More