What do we do with all the time we have? The long hours between the warm sunrise and cool darkness are ours to command and while daily chores consume a bit (not really, who wants to do chores?) plenty of time is available. So why not try something new? Something never tried before, something so different you may have thought, “I can’t do that.”

My sister Marlene encouraged me to try drawing birds. She sent with me a handful of Prisma pens which until a week ago I was afraid to use; “I can’t do that” rings in my head. Jim provided dozens of colored pencils and a nice drawing pencil – I’m not afraid of those. And then something wonderful happened when drawing birds became my daily focus. Looking for birds, looking at birds, looking at pictures of birds isn’t always SEEING the birds. The look in their eyes, their open beaks, the depth of their feathers – these things and more sprang into view as I drew. I thought I’d been observing birds reasonably enough. Finding them, recognizing more and more of them, learning their habits, making a correct identification – all good skills to have. Once the drawing started, the results surprised and amazed me. Birds, people, scenery, animals – once I started to draw, I felt like my eyes woke up. There is so much to see.

John Muir Laws (JML) in his handbook “The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds” says that once you start to draw them, birds will reveal their secrets. At first I skimmed over that line, thinking it a generalization. Turns out, JML is on to it. By drawing what you really see the birding passion changes completely. JML’s book delivers pages of drawing techniques, instructions and lessons, along with stern encouragement – the chapter on field drawing begins with “Go outside and draw”. Yes, apt advice; the only way to become proficient at drawing birds in the field is to go into the field and draw. Bit tricky with that screaming equatorial sun blasting down, but I’m finding ways.

At first, though, it is helpful to have the basic bird drawing techniques well-practiced;  mastering them will take years. Unlike, say, learning to play the violin, practicing drawing birds is as much fun as birding itself. Average copy paper is readily available and while it is nothing special I fill all of the paper space with drawings in various stages of completion. JML’s advice on completion? “Stop before you finish”. Easier said than done but still good advice. So with the ultimate goal of becoming adept at sketching in the field, I’ve filled two notebooks.  – I will need to find some more paper.

The box of colored pencils, crayons, wax pencils and nice Prismacolor pens are tucked neatly behind the seat, along with JML’s handbook and my sketching paper, all within reach. There is one very well-used kneaded eraser and an equally well-used pencil sharpener. A note from my brother William said to study the masters. The master’s works aren’t easy to come by here in the countryside but what I did find in the library at Cool Runnings was a 1977 hard-bound edition of Roberts Birds of Southern Africa. Exquisite illustrations of birds fill the pages, humbling and inspiring to peruse. Now it is time to sit down for a couple of hours and draw. Then we can play bao or whatever. Just no chores, thanks.