Art Lesson w/ Ms. Jennifer: J. J. Audubon
Let’s express ourselves by drawing birds in the style of naturalist and artist J. J. Audubon.
Which of these birds do you see in your yard?
About the Artist
John J. Audubon was born in Haiti in 1785, grew up in France, and later moved to the United States. He became a woodsman and loved to observe and draw wildlife, especially birds. He decided to make a book of paintings of every kind of bird in the United States. He spent years traveling to observe and collect birds in their natural habitat. Unlike other artists of the time, he painted the birds life size, with details of their habitat included, such as the plants or insects they fed on or where they nested. The Birds of America book was printed and sold across the world. It is still used by many people to identify birds. The original books were nearly 4 feet tall, and a copy recently sold as the most expensive book in the world!
After his death, people were upset at the destruction of several species of birds. They decided to form the Audubon Society for the study and preservation of bird species.
Learn more about Birds of America, and look at color images here:
Learn about J.J. Audubon
You can learn even more here:
The Audubon Society has an entire website devoted to activities for kids like you. Check it out! https://www.audubon.org/get-outside/activities/audubon-for-kids If you scroll down this page, you will see lots of bird drawing videos, step by step tutorials, and coloring sheets. You can even draw hummingbirds and bald eagles.
Materials:
A photo of a bird
Pencil or crayon
Watercolor paints, water, brush, and rag or paper towel
Watch how to draw a bird from the Audubon Society website here
Instructions:
After studying the art of Audubon, decide if you want to draw a bird using the videos linked above, or if you prefer to draw from a photograph or real live bird.
Sketch the main parts of you bird with a pencil or crayon.
Fill in a few details such as feathers.
Now add color using watercolor paints. Audubon used watercolor for most of the bird pages in his book, but he also liked to paint with oil paints.
Don’t forget to add some details of the habitat where your bird lives. Draw the foods he would eat, or plants he would be found near.
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