Bird Drawing

This is a pen and ink illustration I created as a gift.

Roughly 10" x 14" pen and ink drawn based on different reference photos for native Swedish birds.

Initial pencil drawing.

Setup with an example of the photo reference I was using.

Inking in progress. I decided to add the leaf halfway through, right before I took this picture. I thought it made the visual narrative a little more interesting.

Completed inks, minus an oval background I still wanted to add.

I added the oval shape to tie it together, and I drew it freehand though looking back, I might have tried a different approach or shape, maybe an oval matte instead. The freehand oval line did not end up perfect, which is not a surprise!

Finished presentation within frame before mailing.