Drawing Birds by Raymond Sheppard

Drawing Birds by Raymond Sheppard ISBN-13: 9780486820323 Paperback: 128 pages Publisher: Dover Publications Released: Feb. 15, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from GoodReads:
This helpful instructional volume offers a wealth of well-illustrated advice on depicting all manner of birds. British illustrator Raymond Sheppard was celebrated for his nature and animal studies, and this book combines two of his most valuable guides, How to Draw Birds (1940) and More Birds to Draw (1956).

This single-volume edition of Sheppard's two great guides provides in-depth studies of the shapes and visual construction of a variety of birds, from domestic fowl to birds on the wing. Topics include anatomy; the representation of wings, feathers, and flight; and details for drawing beaks, feet, and plumage. Common birds such as thrushes, redwings, blackbirds, and starlings appear here, along with many other species, in addition to ducks in and out of the water and birds of prey such as the barn owl, buzzard, and golden eagle. Drawing Birds offers an abundance of pointers that will benefit amateur and professional artists alike.


My Review:
Drawing Birds is an art book combining the author's guides "How to Draw Birds" and "More Birds to Draw." He assumed that the reader already knows how to draw, so he didn't cover topics like tools or techniques. Rather, he provided tips on how to accurately draw birds.

He started by explaining bird anatomy, from wings to beaks to feet. Then he talked about specific types of birds, like ducks, eagles, ravens, etc. He gave information about each bird like you'd find in a nature book plus some tips about how to capture the bird's pose and personality. For each bird covered, he provided a page full of studies he's done, ranging from rough sketches to detailed portraits.

He also provided tips on how to make a bird in the water or air look natural and how to quickly capture the bird's body shape and stance. Overall, it's an informative book and has lovely bird drawings, but it's probably of limited use to complete beginners.


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