Do not fearful of exaggerating muscle. Mark the grip of the talon and the clutching strength of the tiny claw with equal decision.
The wing of a bird is sometimes likened to the arm, wrist, and thumb of the human arm. The joint of the leg, which has the appearance of the human knee (bent backward), resembles the ankle of the human being, for the knee-joint of a bird is higher and hidden by the plumage.
No doubt you have often remarked that the neck of the bird resembles the letter S. This is especially noticeable in the swan when proudly 'floating double' with his neck carried in beautiful curves; the stork and the ibis elongate their necks—the S is more drawn out, while in the case of the flamingo, cassowary, emu, and ostrich the neck more closely resembles an interrogation mark.
But we must not linger too long over details. We must return to a more general survey, and we have not yet touched on the most attractive aspect of the subject—birds in flight. Here, indeed, is a fascinating subject for our pencils.
How entrancing are the impetuous rush of the tiny body, the tiny fluttering spread of the buoyant wings! Yet no sooner do we whip out a pencil than the bird is gone beyond recall.
Think of the wonderful non-resisting shape of the body that slips through the air as a fish glides through water, the rudder-like shape of the transparent tail, and the tremendous span of the spread wings! How often do we draw wings that would be of no real use to our birds! The length of the wing outspread is prodigious in comparison with the size of the body.
Observe the seagull with wings folded to its side, and the way in which the wings are incorporated with the slender length of the body. Then look closely at a wing extended, not the clean-cut delicacy of the pointed quills, the vigorous muscle, and the strength of the shoulder.
When we draw the bird in flight we should first sketch the angle of the body, then the angle of the wings.
