Today I returned to the same photo of a house wren that I have sketched before. One sketch I did with a Tombow N65 brush marker only, focusing on value. The other I did first with a non-photo blue pencil, followed by a Pigma Micron 005 marker and finally Winsor & Newton watercolors using a Pentel Aquash water brush.

With each iteration more of the bird becomes clear to my mind, and with each attempt I feel slightly better at some small part of the technique: value, color, volume, line, brush, etc.

As someone who is not really a trained artist, I find myself wishing I had learned all this long ago. And I am glad to be learning it now.

The art, as I keep saying, helps me to see what is there before me. And what a gift that is.

A black and white sketchbook drawing depicts a bird sitting on a birdhouse with abstract lines and shading, accompanied by a black pen on top.A simple line drawing of a bird perched in profile, showcasing minimal details.A watercolor painting depicts a brown bird with a long tail and a sharp beak, perched on a surface.