Featuring colorist Ronda Francis

Friday, January 8, 2016

How To Draw a Fat Budgie

On January fifth we celebrated National Bird Day.

I think it is wonderful to celebrate birds because they have always had a special place in my heart.

When I was a young girl I watched a practically featherless young mockingbird running in the street on a hot summer's day. I heard a crow in the distance and then saw his intentions were not good. After a few failed swoops at the little chicklet I could not take it any more and decided I either needed to find his nest or take him home.

Much to the chagrin of my mother, we ended up taking the little guy home, naming him Peanuts, and caring for the little featherhead for the rest of the summer until he flew away.

Since then I have had many birds: Algebra the budgie, Buddy the conure, Sky, Tweety, Nibble, Speck, Bubble, and Winter. I loved them all.



That being said I thought it would be a good week to learn to draw a fat budgie. The one I drew is much chubbier and more cartoon like than realistic, but I think you will find it fun to draw. Plus chubby budgies are just too cute.

Below is a video to follow--they are pretty simple but their shape takes a few practice runs to get. Don't give up!

Have fun!




xo

Music by loveyoujapan.

I LOVE comments and will visit you right back! Thanks followers!

Drawn with the Zebra fine point brush pen from Jet Pens.

40 comments:

  1. Hi Dea so good to meet you! Love your adorable budgie...years ago I had a conure called Sneaky Bird...actually he had a whole room to himself...Love your cute bird!! Make sure to link up to Paint Party Friday!! It's a perfect way to meet more artists...they are all so awesome there!! I'm sure they'd love this little video too!! Thanks for your sweet comment!!

    Hugs Giggles

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    1. Oh what a lucky bird Sneaky Pete was! I have a cinnamon greek cheek now named Buddy. I adore him and he's wonderful--but only to me! He's sitting on my shoulder now mumbling. And thank you! I found PPF and I feel lucky. What a great group. Looking forward to more interaction and art. Lovely to meet you--see you around the neighborhood! xo

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  2. Hi Dea ... lovely to meet you as well. Thanks for dropping by my blog. Yes, it's a great way to meet wonderful people of like mind. Your post is great -- love the little bird. Thanks for joining my blog. Look forward to more of your work. hugs, Donna

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    1. Thank you thank you for the kind words. My insecurities are sitting in the back seat for a few minutes now. :) Looking forward to your future blog posts. See you around the neighborhood! xo

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  3. Your budgie is so cute! They are cartoon like birds with their chubby faces and brught colours. I loved reading your bird rescue story. I couldn't have stood by and let the little chick suffer either.

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    1. Thank you thank you! Yes--I have a soft spot for all birds. :) I wish I had a bigger house, cages take up a lot of space!

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  4. This is such a lovely story with a happy ending.
    Your little fat budgie is terrific with his pretty patterns and lovely green countryside.

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    1. Thank you so much sheila 77! I wish they could all live in a bucolic, temperature controlled, no predator countryside. So glad you stopped by.xo

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  5. Replies
    1. Thank you so much William. Buddy is on my shoulder right now. :)

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    1. Thank you very much Susi! Glad you stopped by. xo

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  7. Totally adorable budgie! Lovely how he stands out from the background. I've always been a dog person but birds certainly seem to have a lot of personality!

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    1. Thank you Cindy! I love dogs too. :) I have a chi/papillon mix named Tina who I adore. And yes, birds have so much personality--although unlike dogs they seem to choose one person and have issues with everyone else. So glad you stopped by! I'm sure I will see you around the neighborhood. xo

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  8. This is so cute. I' m a bird lover too. Have rescued several and owned a couple of parrots.

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    1. Aww good for you Carol. I truly need to stay away from the rescue--I tend to come home with one every visit. Thank you--and thanks for visiting. See you around the art neighborhood. xo

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  9. So cute, what a lovely budgie and sweet story.

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    1. Thank you kat--I have loved them since I was little. xo

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    1. Thank you so much Karla B! Hope to see you around the neighborhood! xo

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  11. What a adorable fat budgie. I love how you paced in outside and not in a cage. Great muted colors too. And lastly, I really enjoyed your bird story. I love birds too- I've never had one as pet inside but outside, and watching them, is one of my favorite things to do.

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    1. I'm so glad you noticed she is outside. :) And thank you--I am truly in love with the little creatures. My birds always fly around my house as I work, and sleep in their happy huts at night. I wish I could have more! So glad you stopped by. See you around the neighborhood! xo

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  12. Such a cute little bird.... I like the contrast between the crisp lines of the budgie and the softer coloured lines of the background. I love birds. I hardly ever draw something without a bird in it :-)

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    1. Thank you denthe! I figured the video would be a nice lesson for kids. I love them too--I did a bird visit in Upstate New York. We mingled with owls, hawks, and a very sassy magpie. It was a wonderful day. Thanks for stopping in! xo

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  13. What an adorable bird Dea! Love the wonderful scene that you created! Happy painting :) Welcome to the blogosphere!

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    1. Thank you Mona! Happy to have found such a lovely community. I'm looking forward to seeing you around the blogoverse. ;) xo

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  14. Happy to meet you too, Dea! :)
    I love your budgie drawing and reading about all the birds in your life!

    We have been having budgies for several years now (they were a compromise for my son's wish of a living eagle that would be his and come and sit on his arm....and after some negotiations we managed to convince him that eagles and owls should not be kept in flats or cages...so we got a pair of budgies ;).

    There are also a lot of crows around and I love how they often fool our dog, tricking her to chase them...

    So reading your post was a real treat too! TFS! And thanks for following my blog. I will gladly follow yours too from now on!

    Claudia xx

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    1. I am like your son! I wish I could have an eagle as a friend, but wholeheartedly agree that they probably would not be a good house pet. ;) Budgies are fun and lively. And oh crows are so smart--they can figure things out so I'm sure your dog thinks they are buggers. Thank you so much for visiting and sharing your eagle story--it made my morning. Looking forward to seeing you around the neighborhood. xo

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  15. Glad to meet you as well Dea. Thanks for stopping by. Love your wee bird - fun video as well. I had budgies growing up - no more tho!

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    1. Thank you thank you! I did the video for the kids--I would have wished for something like that as a kid that I could follow. Looking forward to seeing you around the neighborhood.xo

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  16. What a sweet little budgie drawing!!

    I loved your story about the crow. We keep several bird feeders and bird baths in our yard for birds. It attracts many birds but also prey like hawks. I understand there is a food chain in nature...but i always chase away the hawks. They'll have to find their lunch in someone else's yard!!

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    1. Oh I am SO with you alarmcat! Although unlike many others I do not chase away the squirrels--they have their own little feeding area. I never understand why people don't think they have the right to food too! Really I love them all, and yes the hawks need to eat to but I DO NOT want to see it. Plus my little chihuahua could be a meal so they need to fly elsewhere!
      Thanks so much for coming by and your great comment. Hope to see you around the art neighborhood. xo

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  17. What a fantastic PPF teaching video. I love the pen information also. Not sure I can get some of them in the USA. Your fat Budgie is adorable. I had one for years until he finally passed. Thank you for visiting my ART blog and my First Watercolor. I look forward to seeing more of your work and Vids. Blessings, Janet PPF

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  18. I love budgies! I have a little yellow-green girl named Chicken, plus a 14 year old white dove, Treasure. They fly free all day and love cuddles and kisses. This past summer we rescued 4 pigeons and my husband built an outdoor shelter so they would a safe place to return to after we released them. We bought a 50 pound bag of feed to keep them in good supply all winter, but many other birds (jays, sparrows, chickadees & starlings) found out about our all-you-can-eat snack bar so we are going through the seed much more quickly than we anticipated. It is worth it to see them gathered around the feed and using the shelters we put up.

    I used to raise budgies and doves, including hand feeding 17 baby budgies all at the same time. One little guy hatched in my hand. Didgeridoo passed nine years ago. I also had an Alexandrine parakeet, Gonzo the Great, who passed away in 2012. I still miss them both. I did a painting of Gonzo that I get to see every day so that helps.

    My husband gets excited when he sees a plane pass overhead. My heart soars each time I see a bird take flight. One day, I want to do that. :)

    Thank you for following my blog. I am following you now too.

    Hugs,
    Teresa

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    1. Awww Chicken and Treausre! And I truly love Alexandrines although I have never had one. I'd love to have a ring-neck but don't think they are legal in NJ unfortunately. Nice that you have a painting of Gonzo.Is it on your site? I'd love to see.
      I wish I had more room for more birds. I love them.
      Thank you so much for following--I'll be looking forward to seeing you again. xo

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    1. Thank you NatureFootstep. Glad you stopped by. xo

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  20. What a adorable fat budgie! Love it!

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    1. Thanks so much Veronica--I love the zesty little devils. xo

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