Chapter 1: Part II (....It's a Long Story)

So.....

It's pretty obvious Chapter 2 shouldn't have been this long. I've had some health issues at the beginning of 2019 slow my progress with this project. It's a long story -- but the good news is that I am back on track, and the Indiana Arts Commission was kind enough to allow me an extension to finish my project.

Apparently, I'm much faster at reading and taking quizzes than I am drawing and painting. I'm much farther in my reading than it looks, so I'm going to have to catch up quickly from here to be able to complete on-time.

While I am already done with Chapter 1 and its quizzes, I thought at least I'd show some of the sketches I've been working on from the beginning. This book introduced me to the Club-winged Manakin, which I am completely enchanted with. They choose the right species to start the book with, as it reminds us bird-lovers why these animals are so special. This bird, native to South America, uses specialized feathers to create sound! Here's a video of the bird displaying:

Here are a few sketches I created to celebrate this bird and get a better visual of their unique feathers:

Club-winged Manakin Sketch, graphite, 9x12

In-Progress: Club-winged Manakin (feather detail) Sketch, graphite, 9x12

Photo reference from: https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/feathers-article/club-winged_manakin_feather/

Chapter 2:Avian Diversity and Classification is next. In this chapter, the authors describe birds evolutionary story as well as what makes birds, well, birds! That means dinosaurs, Archaepteryx, and other extinct bird species.....a favorite topic of mine! Hope you'll stay with me as I race to get the last of the chapters finished and sketches completed!

This project is made possible by support of the Indiana Arts Commission, a state agency.