Watercolor Sketch: Hawk Feather

 

Thought I heard a hawk screaming out in the backyard today, but when I looked out to see who was making all the commotion, it was a blue jay.  Jays, it turns out, are amazing mimics.  This one was impersonating a predator to scare all the other birds away from the feeder, and it worked.  Even the grackles scattered every which way!

We do get hawks in the yard from time to time, however, as evidenced by the above feather I found.  I'm not an expert, but I'm guessing that it's a secondary (wing) feather, possibly from a red tailed hawk.

I've been neglecting my watercolors lately in favor of oils, so I thought it'd be good practice to make a  quick sketch on a scrap of paper, using a mix of Payne's Gray and Burnt Sienna. I was going to draw in pencil first, but decided to skip this step. I've been doing this more and more lately; perhaps it means I'm finally becoming more confident with a brush?