The Little Sparrow

I've always loved drawing birds, maybe it's due to my  intricate style which I can fully unleash- particularly on the feathers, as I have done here. I love rens, robins and sparrows; all the stereotypical birds you might think of living at the back of your garden.

Today has been a lovely day; clear skies, sun out, warm breeze and the birds singing. For the first time in months, I grabbed my pens and pad and sat on a bench in the garden basking in the glorious sunlight. As I started to draw, two wood pigeons that have lived in the tree I was sitting under for years, started fighting and the sound of flapping wings almost became unbearable until one gave in and flew away. Even wood pigeons are partial to the occasional lovers tiff I thought...

A few minutes later another sound came from behind me. The sound of a wood pecker, but surely not? Sadly, it was merely a yellow tit imitating the elusive bird on a nearby bird house.

As I sat in pure serenity listening to the brilliant array of bird songs, rustling and knocking, a small lady bird landed on my leg. I counted the spots- 12 (which seemed a lot). As I debated whether to draw another dot on its back, making it uneven, it few away. Moments later, a larger black beetle crash landed near my foot. This was followed by a tickling sensation on the back of my neck. As I touched my neck and brought my hand back the money spider was sitting innocently on my finger again. Cute, I thought, but I'm trying to work! I blew it off, though it returned two more times throughout the morning.

As my drawing came to an end, I felt free- one with nature. How long had it been since I had interacted with another creature (one that didn't wear all black and smoke pot)?

For that hour or so, nothing bothered me (even the determined spider won me over in the end). As I sat and stretched in the sun, I felt almost bird like myself; as though I was spreading my wings as I perched on a branch above my head. Nothing mattered, nothing was wrong. There was no downhearted headlines, no stories of murder and tragedy we see every day on TV and in the papers. It was just me sitting on a bench whilst countless animals allowed me to share their world. I prefer that world.

After finishing the drawing, I made four variations. As usual, I couldn't decide which one to use so I've just posted them all... I added text, which I felt was very fitting to my experience.

[Click images to zoom]