Last of the Polar Bears

Studies of a African Crowned Crane chick. When I’m sketching (either from imagination, or from reference as in this case), the first thing I do is quickly jot down the entire pose, the action the figure is doing, keeping it loose and lively. From there, I chisel the sketch into proper proportions and build up the details, erasing construction lines as I go. For these daily animal sketches, since the drawings are for study purposes, I leave most of the construction lines intact to show how the figure was built.

Source: Referenced from Paradise Park photos of the little crane (who has since grown up quite a bit).