Gilles Rainville illustration

For the Birds... I chose to finish the jackdaw drawing over the summer. I`ve been sharing the results with the children at the school and  they have loved it.

For the Birds... The school year is coming to an end. That means I'll have to finish this piece without the children watching. I was almost finished and I hope I inspired many little hearts with these birds. Jackdaw - pencil - 2013  

For the Birds... In the past couple of weeks , I've had some early appointments that left me with a few hours of spare time before work. I spent them in a coffee shop working on the bird renderings I had started with the children at the Glebe Montessori School. I was able to finish one of them and advance considerably with the other. Showing these to the children, I am hoping to be a source of inspiration for them. Bird - Graphite Pencil - 2013 Jackdaw - Pencil - 2013

For the birds... Now that the rain is back we, the school kids and teachers , are having indoor recess! That means I get to continue drawing with my students! I 've continued drawing what I think is a type of chickadee. It's a cute little black and white bird. I've added some low lights with my 8B pencil and continued drawing the pattern on the bird's plumage .  Bird - Graphite Pencil - 2013 I am really enjoying the kids curiosity. They always ask "How do you draw like that?" and I like to give them an answer that relates to one of our most recent lessons. Lately we have been studying texture patterns so I explain to them how I repeatedly draw similar lines to create the feather texture. One child even asked me if he could feel my drawing. It makes me feel like I am passing on the inspiration I received from my uncle. (reference to biography)

For the Birds... Whenever I find myself sitting with children indoors without a lesson to teach or simply waiting for a class to begin, I will take out my sketch book, find a photo of something   (lately it has been birds) and start drawing from the photo . Here's what was sketched lately.