How to Draw a Drying Cormorant

Cormorants are great swimmers that are often seen drying their wings.

Cormorants are fascinating waterbirds with a black plumage. They eat fish and catch them by diving. They have enjoyed a long relationship with humans who have valued their guano as fertilizer and fuel. People have also used cormorant feathers for adornment. There are approximately 30 different varieties of cormorants, with some displaying colored markings and crests. Cormorants do not have waterproofing oils in their feathers to reduce buoyancy which enables them to swim faster and further underwater than other waterbirds. They are often seen spreading their wings in the sun to dry them out.

Things You'll Need

• Drawing paper
• Sketch pencil
• Photo of cormorant

Instructions

1. Find a good spot where you can observe drying cormorants if you happen to live anywhere near them. Use a photo as a reference if you cannot view the real thing but make sure it is detailed enough for you to create a successful drawing. Outline the cormorant starting with the feet. Work your way up on each side and keep each wing the same size. Keep the neck exactly in the middle between the wings and outline the slender head and beak to finish the outline. The bird should look perfectly balanced.

2. Add the rock or wooden post the bird may be standing on and work your way out from there by adding surrounding details such as rocks, other birds, the ocean, boats or a wharf. Create a perspective you are comfortable with and exclude a lot of surrounding detail if you just want to feature the cormorant.

3. Draw the bird with smooth lines. Draw the beak carefully with a slight curve at the tip. Use a close up image of a cormorant to get this right. Gauge the proportions in the image by eye or by taking measurements. Calculate the differing proportions accurately to avoid distortions. If your reference image is half as large as your drawing, for example, then double the length on your canvas. Draw the wing 4 inches long if it measures 2 inches on the photo and so on.

4. Decide on the position of the sun as this will directly affect the shading and highlighting you will want to create. Continue to sketch in details such as the texture of any rocks or wood. Indicate any markings and define the beak area and pouch with fine lines. Carefully draw in the eye of the cormorant.

5. Detail the feathers of the bird. Take note of the sheen on the feathers as they reflect sunlight and keep these areas very light. Precisely mark the the endings of the feathers to create good contrast. Draw a jagged line to indicate the feather tips along the bottom as opposed to the smooth line for the tops of the wings. Emphasize the detail of thick bony areas of the wings by making them a little darker than the surface areas of the wings which may be reflecting the sun in areas.

6. Draw the wings identical in size but vary the shading to give your drawing a three-dimensional look. Watch how the light is reflecting off the bird. Shade in the areas that are in the sun's shadow and look dark in the photo. Draw out from the dark areas by gradually lightening as you move to the lighter areas. Create a smooth transition from light to dark and continue to simulate all the shadows and highlights in this way.

7. Detail remaining areas until you feel that the drawing is complete. Be patient and remember that it is the final touches that really add realism and beauty to a drawing. Rub the shaded areas lightly with your finger to blend them without rubbing out any detail. Add the detail lines again if it they are rubbed out by accident. Do the same with other areas that have shading to create a smooth finished look. Draw items which are closer with more detail than those further away. This also helps to create depth.

References

• Arte Lessons: Drawing and Painting Birds by Sharon Himes
• Animal Trial: Cormorant bird