The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds - by John Muir Laws (Paperback)

About the Book

This is more than a guide to drawing birds it is also an introduction to the lives, forms, and postures of the birds themselves.An imaginative field instruction book for really seeing and drawing birds by the bestselling author of the innovative field guides on the Sierra and San Francisco Bay.

Book Synopsis

John Muir Laws's guide to drawing birds is itself winged, soaring between a devotion not only to art but also to the lives, forms, and postures of the birds themselves.

Here, artistic technique and the exquisite details of natural history intertwine, and drawing becomes the vehicle for seeing. As Laws writes, "To draw feathers, you must understand how feathers grow, overlap, and insert into the body. To create the body, you must have an understanding of the bird's skeletal structure. To pose this skeleton, you must be able to perceive the energy, intention, and life of the bird."

This how-to guide will perfect the technique of serious artists but also, perhaps more importantly, it will provide guidance for those who insist they can't draw. Leading the mind and hand through a series of detailed exercises, Laws delivers what he promises: that "drawing birds opens you to the beauty of the world." An Audubon Book.

More journaling titles by John Muir Laws:

• The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling


• How to Teach Nature Journaling


• The Laws Sketchbook for Nature Journaling

Review Quotes

"Tips that only an expert could provide are included throughout. Bird-watchers will be pleasantly surprised to discover how helpful this book can be toward fully seeing and understanding the birds they spot." --Library Journal

"I have read through Jack Laws's Guide to Drawing Birds, and my only comment is that it is outstanding both from an artistic and ornithological perspective. I wish I had such a book when I first began to draw birds. Reading through the text and, more importantly, exploring his drawings and paintings, leads me through the visual journey that Jack took when he observed the subtle details of each bird. The book is well written, richly illustrated, and beautifully designed." --Robert Petty, Director of Field Support, Audubon

"At some point, I expect more than a few birders have tried (or at least considered) drawing their favorite bird. There is something quite natural about wanting to do this. If you are one of these birders, and even if you are not, take a look at the newly published Guide to Drawing Birds, and find out why I believe it is a must-have book for artist-birders. For that matter, I think it has value for anyone who simply wishes to improve their skills of observation. There is a lot to celebrate in the pages of this book, trust me. It is truly a birder's guide to drawing." --10,000 birds

"Best Bird Book Pick for the Holidays: perhaps the most visually stunning bird book of the year, an insanely beautiful and useful guide to not only drawing and painting but seeing birds." --The Birdchaser

"If you've ever even remotely considered drawing birds, you will find Guide to Drawing Birds eye opening, and then essential." --The Birder's Library

"This instruction book on drawings birds is everything I had wanted and so much more. It never gets boring and doesn't speak over the level of beginners like me." --Birding is Fun!

"Even those who may not consider themselves qualified to wield a pencil for anything more than writing a grocery list might well come to discover just how enjoyable and effective as a learning exercise sketching birds can be ... The techniques he demonstrates can be applied in as rudimentary or as polished a form as one likes. Whether one's drawings are merely augmentations to field notes or developed into fine artistic renderings, the essentials skills needed to produce them are the same. Laws presents these skills in easy-to-understand chapters, including an entire section devoted to what is perhaps the most commonly misunderstood element in avian locomotion: flight." --BirdWatcher's Digest

"Naturalist John Muir Laws has produced more than a guide to the techniques of drawing. He has drawn on a lifetime of work in conservation and wildlife biology to connect drawing with the actual lives of the birds." --Examiner.com

"A beautiful new book ... not simply for 'gifted artists' but for anyone who wants to heighten their appreciation of birds and nature." --Golden Gate Birder

"Tired of merely watching birds? Ever consider trying to draw them? There s a method to do so. John Muir Laws is very good at this and he's written a book that can help you get started, maybe even become good at it yourself." --National Geographic Society

"A good introduction for those wanting to learn how to draw birds." --The Guardian (UK)

"Guide to Drawing Birds is a fine recommendation for any involved in drawing, birds, or birdwatching and any crafts or arts collection will want it. It's devoted not to the art but to the natural history and postures of birds, blending techniques with keys to observing birds and capturing them using field sketches which then can be developed further off field. From using colored pencils to avoiding common problems in bird drawing, this is packed with step-by-step color illustrations throughout." --Midwest Book Review

"I would highly recommend this book to someone ... who'd like to be less intimidated by the thought of drawing birds." --National Parks Traveller

"John Muir Laws has created a quintessential field guide for drawing birds that can be used by people of all skill levels, young and old. This book could cause a renaissance of the illustrated journals and sketchbooks of earlier times." --San Francisco Book Review

About the Author

John Muir Laws is a naturalist, educator, and artist with degrees in conservation and resource studies, wildlife biology, and scientific illustration. His books include The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada, The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds, The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling, and (with Emilie Lygren) How to Teach Nature Journaling, all published by Heyday. He is cofounder of the Wild Wonder Foundation, an organization encouraging nature connection through art and science. Visit his website at johnmuirlaws.com.

David Allen Sibley is an American naturalist. He is the author and illustrator of The Sibley Guide to Birds (and several other books about birds), as well as The Sibley Guide to Trees.