Kinglet--First Sketch

I have collected a small stack of backyard bird photos that have been tugging at me for the past few weeks, especially after capturing some new ones this weekend. Though I didn't have much time left when I got home from the office last night, I made this first attempt at capturing the ruby-crowned kinglet in my sketchbook.

My eye is not yet acquainted with its shapes. This is one of the things about art that is so intimate and engaging. You see differently as you attempt to capture a subject. You begin to notice spacial relationships, size, shape, color nuances. I have not tried sketching these smaller birds, so first comes the practice. The eye and the beak are so important in capturing the beauty of the kinglet. So here's my first attempt. I'll practice sketching it a few more times and then give it a whirl on watercolor paper.