The black falcon is a large, powerful raptor found across Australia. With its jet black plumage and striking yellow cere and feet, the black falcon is unmistakable in the sky. While drawing any bird of prey requires care to capture its regal essence, a few simple steps will help you successfully draw a black falcon.
Getting Started
Before beginning your black falcon drawing, it helps to gather reference photos and illustrations. Observe the proportions, shapes, and patterns in the falcon’s plumage. Pay particular attention to the facial features like the eyes, beak shape, and cere. Note the dimensions of the wings, tail, and feet. Look for images that capture the falcon in various poses – perched, flying, grasping prey – as these will give you a better sense of its form. Spend time studying your references, and have them close at hand when you start drawing.
For your drawing tools, simple pencils and paper are all you need to start. Smooth Bristol paper works well for sketching fine details. Have a range of sharpened pencils (2B-6B) on hand so you can vary your strokes. A kneaded eraser helps lift pencil marks cleanly if you make a mistake. Once you perfect your initial sketch, you may want to go over the lines in ink or color the drawing with paint or colored pencils. But for now, plain pencil provides enough versatility.
Sketching the Body Outline
Begin by lightly sketching a large oval shape for the falcon’s torso, tapering it at the bottom. Draw this central body oval pointing upward on the page so you have space to sketch the head at the top and feet below. The torso should take up about two-thirds of the overall height.
To position the wings, add two curved lines sloping down from the torso oval. Place the wing lines at about the top third of the torso shape. The wingspan width should be roughly equal to the total height from head to feet. Very lightly sketch the basic shape for the spread tail, which should span about the same width as the wings.
Moving to the head, draw a small sideways teardrop shape with a curved line for the beak projecting from the front. Add two small circular eyes spaced widely apart either side of the head. Now place the legs, drawing two parallel lines that taper into pointed talons.
Check the proportions and balance at this stage before moving on. The torso is large and powerful compared to the head and legs. Everything should appear in good balance, with space surrounding the outline to fill in details.
Refining Details in the Plumage
The black falcon’s plumage requires careful shading and textures. Start with the head, using light smooth strokes to map out the facial features. Draw curved lines around each eye, getting gradually darker toward the pupil. Add shadowing around the beak and behind the cere.
Work downward through the body, starting to fill in the wings. Use your pencil very lightly, drawing thin parallel curved lines flowing with the wing shape. Draw the lines closer together where you want darker shadowing. Add layers and cross-hatching to build up tones gradually. Leave white areas unshaded to convey feather patterns and highlights.
On the torso, use fine diagonal hatching and tapering strokes to indicate the breast feathers. Draw curved sweeping lines down the body, suggesting the smooth, layered contour feathers. Add some simple flicks and textures on the legs, keeping them relatively minimal.
Building up the layers slowly creates subtle, photorealistic shading. Varying the pencil pressure gives a good tonal range. Keep the pure black areas very limited, retaining plenty of highlight contrast.
Inking the Outline
Once you complete the shading, carefully trace over the pencil outline with black ink. Use a fine liner or calligraphy pen. This dark outline will help lift your drawing from the pencil sketch stage. Ink pens give more solid, intense lines.
Work slowly and deliberately when inking, taking particular care around fine details. Don’t worry about being too precise at this inking stage. You still have chances later on to refine any wobbly lines.
Allow the ink outline to dry fully before erasing any remaining pencil sketch lines inside the outlined shape. Now you have a clean traced ink drawing ready for finishing touches.
Finishing Details
To complete your black falcon drawing, it’s time to accentuate some features and add any final flourishes. Go back to the facial area and use ink or darker pencil to draw small triangle shapes within each eye for the iris. Add shadows and lines radiating outward from the pupil for detail.
Ink hatching strokes can also enhance the breast feathers and anywhere you want to intensify the shading. Reinforce the dark feather patterns with some selective cross-hatching or short flicks.
Finally, while less is often more with feather texturing, you can incorporate some fine white lines in places to suggest highlighted edges and really make the plumage feathers pop. Just take care not to overdo it. Subtlety maintains realism.
Sign your name and date your finished artwork. Well done, you now have a gorgeous rendition of a striking raptor ready to take to the skies!
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Drawing any bird of prey poses challenges, but a few common mistakes can be readily avoided:
- Don’t make the wings too small in relation to the body. Remember that for a bird in flight, the wingspan stretches impressively wide.
- Watch the proportions when drawing the legs and talons. Don’t make them too thick and heavy.
- Aim to capture the essence of the falcon’s nature in your drawing. Depict the regal gaze, hooked beak, and sharp talons that give it such imposing presence. Your sketch should breathe life into the predatory power and gracefulness of this raptor.
Take a methodical approach working through the steps from initial outline to completed details. Allow yourself enough time to work slowly and carefully. Your patience will be rewarded with a lifelike rendering that captures the striking form of the black falcon.
Practice and Improving Your Technique
Like any art, drawing well takes practice. Don’t be disheartened if your first falcon sketches lack some finesse. Stick with it and draw as often as you can. Over time, you’ll find your observation skills, hand control, and pen techniques improving.
Here are some tips for honing your drawing abilities:
- Practice sketching individual elements like eyes, beaks, wings, and feet. Mastering these parts in isolation helps when composing whole drawings.
- Do quick gesture drawing exercises to capture form and motion. Sketch birds in many poses rapidly without worrying about detail.
- Take life drawing classes using raptor specimens or taxidermy as models. Observing real 3D forms teaches detailed anatomy.
- Photograph birds of prey yourself for references. Seeing how light and shadow falls on living falcons is hugely helpful.
- Look at artwork by master wildlife illustrators to inspire your own style and compositions.
Aspiring to continually improve your drawing approach, tools, and techniques keeps the passion alive. Perfecting the power and grace of a bird like the black falcon in your own unique style will bring you joy and satisfaction for many years of artwork to come.
Conclusion
Drawing a lifelike black falcon is immensely rewarding. Follow the steps from structural outline to intricate details and shading. Observe reference images closely, picturing the forms. Use an initial pencil sketch to build up tone and feather textures before carefully inking the lines. Work slowly and methodically for best results. With practice, you can develop skills to capture the striking essence of these raptors. Your illustrated black falcon will soar off the page, evoking the imposing strength and agility of this avian hunter.