In this article we relax and take a sketchy approach to painting birds from one of my recent book acquisitions, “Identify and Draw North American Birds”, written by Amy Root and illustrated by Michael Canas. You’ll find the link to the book below in the Supplies section.
During the session I draw a Painted Bunting and paint it with watercolors, then draw an American Robin with Inktense blocks and activate with water, and lastly use my own photos of a local Florida Seagull to sketch with a white acrylic marker on black paper and color with oil pastels and Prismacolor pencils.
This workshop was an exercise in letting go and giving ourselves the permission to just explore the shapes and colors of North American birds without any pressure to “get it right”. This session was a lot of fun and I hope you’ll try some of the techniques shared in the class video.
Painted Bunting watercolors sketch by artist Tristina Dietz Elmes.
Some of the things you will learn from this workshop include:
my favorite graphite pencils for sketching;
considerations for small vs larger sketches;
exploring bird forms with various paint mediums;
watercolor tips;
Derwent Inktense pencils and blocks tips;
sketching on black paper;
oil pastels on black paper tips;
and more…
Bird sketches in watercolor by Tristina Dietz Elmes from the book, “Identify and Draw North American Birds”.
Birds of North America Sketching Workshop Video Replay
Below is the full video workshop of my Live painting session. The paints, surfaces and accessories used in the video are listed afterwards in this article. Enjoy! 🎨
Here are the video timeline sections if you want to jump to a particular part of the live session:
0:00:00 - Intro To Sketching North American Birds
Here are my favorite 2 websites for finding reference photos:
https://pixabay.com/
https://unsplash.com/
Here is the Instagram link for one of my favorite artists who paints lots of sketchy loose birds:
https://www.instagram.com/jodilynnlee/
Feel free to ask me any follow-up questions in the comments below. Thanks for watching! 😍
Reference Photos of Seagulls in My Neighborhood
Here are reference photos of seagulls in my neighborhood to use when following along with the video class. Note these images are copyright 2026, Tristina Dietz Elmes and are for personal use only.
American Robin sketch with Inktense pencils and blocks with Sakura marker accents on paper by Tristina Dietz Elmes.
Supplies List for Sketching North American Birds Workshop
Here are links to the supplies list for the books, pencils, paints and accessories shown during the video. As a Blick Affiliate and Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases for links below that lead to Amazon and Blick Art Materials.
Book: Identify and Draw North American Birds by Amy Root for Walter Foster Spiral Bound (2011) - https://amzn.to/4vcQzQt
Book: 10-Step Drawing Nature by Mary Woodin Softcover (2020) - https://amzn.to/48uA1tv
Book: Oil Pastel Masterpieces in 4 Easy Steps by Anna Koliadych Softcover (2022) - https://amzn.to/48wxTBw
📗📘📙
US Art Supply Watercolor Spiral Bound Paper Pads 140lb 5.5x8.5in Set of 3 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08T21BSDQ?ref=t_ac_view_request_product_image&campaignId=amzn1.campaign.2KXA587IB1GL4&linkCode=tr1&tag=dietzart-20&linkId=amzn1.campaign.2KXA587IB1GL4_1775444294119
Staedtler Mars Lumograph Graphite Pencil Tin Set of 12 - https://amzn.to/4c6Mkx5
Afmat Long Point Pencil Sharpener - https://amzn.to/4e4MrvK
Chunky Graphite Drawing Stick Set of 3 - https://amzn.to/3NSydn8
Stadetler Metallic Pencil Set of 12 - https://amzn.to/4mmJN6P
Kristy Rice Watercolors Set of 12 in Travel Tin - https://amzn.to/48fc3lW
Artistro Quill Squirrel Hair Brush Set of 3 - https://amzn.to/4c7GPhT
Pentel Oil Pastels Set of 50 - https://amzn.to/47I5Leq
Paul Ruben White Soft Oil Pastels Set of 6 - https://amzn.to/4e4OS1m
Van Gogh Oil Pastels Individuals and Sets on Blick - https://www.kqzyfj.com/click-101492004-12117697?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dickblick.com%2Fproducts%2Fvan-gogh-oil-pastels%2F
Sakura Pigma Micron Pen Set of 10 - https://amzn.to/3NGhEL8
Grabie Black and White Fine Tip Acrylic Markers Set of 6 (3 each) - https://amzn.to/4vaQ7Ci
Derwent Inktense Blocks Individuals and Sets on Blick - https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-101492004-12117697?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dickblick.com%2Fproducts%2Fderwent-inktense-blocks%2F%3FfromSearch%3D%252Fsearch%252F%253Fsearchword%253Dderwent%2520inktense
Derwent Inktense Pencils and Sets on Blick - https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-101492004-12117697?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dickblick.com%2Fproducts%2Fderwent-inktense-pencils%2F
Art Spectrum Degas Fixative Pump Spray - https://amzn.to/3PpF6Nm
Prudiut Watercolor Paper 140lb 5x7in and other sizes 120 Sheets - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJQVKBYM?ref=t_ac_view_request_product_image&campaignId=amzn1.campaign.1PLSVV74GU1KG&linkCode=tr1&tag=dietzart-20&linkId=amzn1.campaign.1PLSVV74GU1KG_1775450313078
Arteza Hardcover Spiral Bound Watercolor Paper 140lb 9x12in 32 Sheets Set of 2 - https://amzn.to/3PUoUDQ
Claire Fontaine Paint-On Black Mixed Media Paper 250gsm 9x12in 20 Sheets - https://amzn.to/4cdIOkV
Canson XL Dry Mixed Media Sand Grain Paper Pads on Blick - https://www.kqzyfj.com/click-101492004-12117697?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dickblick.com%2Fproducts%2Fcanson-xl-sand-grain-dry-mixed-media-pads%2F
Fuumuui Professional Series Synthetic Squirrel 10 Brush Set - https://amzn.to/3ZcuzXj
Faber Castell Collapsible Tulip Edge Brush Holder Water Cup - https://amzn.to/3Pxxyon
General's The Master's Brush Soap 2.5oz Jar - https://amzn.to/49k2Jgq
General's The Master's Brush Soap 24oz Tub - https://amzn.to/49k2Qsm
Wood Brush Rest Stand Set of 2 Holds 4 Brushes Each - https://amzn.to/3OrurOi
My Recommended Cloth-Like Viva Paper Towels 3 Double Rolls - https://amzn.to/3EPZhOW
🎨🎨🎨
Note that most of the list of supplies above can be found on the Blick Art Materials website and shipping is generally free for orders of $79 or more. Check them out here:
https://www.jdoqocy.com/click-101492004-12117697?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dickblick.com%2F
************************************If you would like to see other paints, mediums and art supplies that I recommend, click below to go to the Supply Links page on my website:
https://www.dietzart.gallery/supply-links
Or, check out art supply recommendations on my Amazon Storefront. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
https://www.amazon.com/shop/tristinadietzelmes
Seagull sketch with acrylic white marker and oil pastels on black paper by Tristina Dietz Elmes.
FREE Live Art Lessons Sunday Afternoons
SUNDAY afternoons I teach a FREE ART LESSON simulcast on YouTube Live and on the WhatNot auction platform followed by a giveaway and sale of my handmade artworks, gift items and some art supplies on WhatNot. You can follow the QR code appearing in the YouTube video or follow the Invite link in the video description to join me on WhatNot for some great Live Auction Art & Gifts deals.
If you're new to Whatnot, sign up with the following link and get $15 in Whatnot credit to use to shop on the platform:
https://www.whatnot.com/invite/tristi...
I hope you'll join me and the thriving Artisan community over on WhatNot soon!
“Young Florida Ground Owl ” oil pastel sketch of a Burrowing Owl on sand-grain paper by Tristina Dietz Elmes. At the time of writing this article, art prints of this painting are available on my Etsy Shop HERE.
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Happy Arting! 🎉