Are you a bird lover who wants to improve your sketching skills? In this beginner-friendly class, birds and pencil sketching come together as we draw five simple birds in different poses using clear, step-by-step techniques.

I’m Andy Villon, and while I love painting and adding color, I also love the art of sketching. I know drawing can feel like the hard part of the creative process—especially if you’re more comfortable coloring or painting. That’s why this class focuses on simplicity. You’ll learn how to capture the basic form, proportions, and gesture of each bird without getting overwhelmed by tiny details.

Sketching gets more fun the more you do it, and these short bird studies are a great way to build confidence fast. This class is perfect for beginners, animal lovers, and anyone who wants a relaxing way to practice drawing from reference.

Materials

You only need a few basics:

Graphite pencil
Eraser
Drawing pad / sketchbook

I’ll be using:

Strathmore Bristol Board 100 lbs Paper
Graphite Pencil 2B and 5B
Kneadable Eraser

Resources

In the Projects & Resources tab, you’ll find the reference photos for each bird plus my finished sketches, so you can follow along and practice again anytime.

I'd love it if you would visit my Etsy Shop where I offer prints and other handicrafts of my artwork: AndysARTtitude

Be sure to check out my social media pages on Instagram and Facebook where I post updates of my art I also announce when there is a new SkillShare class.

bird drawing

how to draw birds

easy bird drawing

step-by-step bird drawing

beginner bird drawing

bird sketching

sketching birds

pencil bird drawing

drawing animals

animal sketching

wildlife drawing

nature drawing

drawing from reference

observational drawing

drawing fundamentals

basic shapes drawing

construction drawing

proportion in drawing

line drawing

contour drawing

gesture drawing

loose sketching

shading with pencil

value shading

cross hatching

feather basics

wing drawing

bird anatomy basics

sketchbook practice

beginner art class

Mary-Kate

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