Colour splashes and some more graphite...

I've really been enjoying a mini online course by Derwent Art Academy - it's free, only six simple steps, and at the end Derwent sends you a wooden box filled with 18 pencils of your choice! I was delighted to find their website (http://derwentacademy.co.uk/ ; go to the "Art Academy" section for the course), especially scrolling through myriads of sketches and colour art on their Art Prize website (http://www.derwent-artprize.com/gallery) You can also vote for your favourite three pieces!

Below is a recent cockerel study I finished as part of the course. To start off, I used very light pencil strokes in the general shape of the head, neck, body, legs and tail, just to lay down the correct slopes and proportions. Later, these lines may need to be erased in places, so they must be very light. I then used a light pencil, in the general colour of the cock, to outline details such as basal neck feathers, beak, eye, wing and tail feathers.

Then, colours!

The entire cock is composed of quick curved strokes of colour, some longer than other, to imitate the effect of many feathers lying together. I used a purple and dark blue to lay down the darker feathers, and then overlayed with black for the darkest shadows.

Eyes are tricky - I find every dot and stroke counts, so imagine something in your mind's eye (!) before detailing the eye. And usually less is more - just a dot, leaving a bit of white page for the twinkle, and a soft curve will do. Maybe a bit of soft background colour...

Cockerel sketched from a photo

The tail was surprisingly hard - just capturing that stunning sheen, while also incorporating the shapes and texture of tail feathers. Because the shine is so crisp, you need to create starker light and dark contrasts - blacks and purples surrounding whites and creams. You can circumvent this challenge though, using only long curved strokes of various colours for the tail, leaving white strips for the sheen. This will obviously create a different appearance, while still looking realistic.

London plane tree leaf

I've always loved the shape of the London Plane's leaf stalk, the way it comes to such an elegant end. If you are thinking of something to draw, I'd recommend trying something you really like - the shape of a guitar, the feeling of the wind high up in those pine trees, the sound of crunching gravel, the texture of leather... anything you've always just loved - if you draw it, the love for it will show.

And others will see what you are seeing!