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Since I have been spending all of my time at home, I have been enjoying the birds and small animals around my house. We have a friendly robin who loves to sit in the window and sometimes taps on the window as if he is trying to get my attention. I wonder if he sees his reflection in the glass and thinks he is sitting with another robin or if he is considering this window ledge for a nest? We also have a bird feeder in our backyard that attracts all kinds of birds and other small creatures too!
What creatures live around your house? Did you ever take photos or draw pictures of them?
Did you know that the artist, John James Audubon, spent his entire life studying and drawing birds? He is famous for his printed and published, Birds of America, which is a collection of 435 life-sized paintings of birds. On the left, is his painting of robins.
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/american-robin#photo7https://www.audubon.org/birds-of-america
Activities Inspired by John James Audubon
Activities Inspired by John James Audubon
Explore Birds of America.
https://www.audubon.org/birds-of-america
Read and listen to a story.
The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon
Book by Jacqueline Davies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQevGPnyNsE
Explore common backyard birds and listen to their songs.
American Flamingo
American Goldfinch
Bachman's Finch
Draw or sketch birds
What birds do you see outside your house? Gather paper or a sketchbook and pencils, crayons, or any art materials that you have and start sketching! You could look out a window or go outside to work. This is exactly what Audubon did!
Draw or sketch animals
Not only did John James Audubon draw and study birds, he also made a series of drawings of mammals called, Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. What animals do you see outside your house? Maybe you could draw a squirrel like the one who likes to climb on my bird feeder! Do you have any pets at your house? Pets are a perfect subject to sketch! Maybe you could draw your cat while he is taking a nap.
Paint
Look closely at your sketches and begin a painting based on those sketches.
Sculpture
Create a sculpture based on your animal sketches. Your sculpture could be made of recycled items or items from nature (please see Art From Recycled Materials and Art inspired from Nature in the drop down menu above) or your sculpture could be made with homemade play dough. If you follow this recipe, I recommend that you add the color to the dough when you add the water and sculptures can be left out to air dry if you choose not to bake them.
How to Make Play Dough - Easy No Cook Recipe! | Sea Lemon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAIAm6BF0fs
Drawing from your imagination
Rather than drawing from real life, like John James Audubon did, you may enjoy creating imaginary birds and animals. Use basic shapes such as circles, ovals, triangles, and more to create a creature.
Collage
A collage is a work of art made by gluing different materials down to create an image or picture. You could use scraps of colored paper, newspaper,old magazines, or items you can find around your house, such as string, fabric, beads, and more. Use the materials you have to create a collage based on your animal sketches or imagination.
Origami
If you are really up for a challenge, here is a video on making origami flapping cranes.
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