1-Break down the owl into shapes: a long oval for the body, a curved teardrop for the wings, and a circle for the head. Lightly sketch out.
2-Develop your sketch lightly, indicating features, and sketch out the shape of shadows and significant patterns on the wings.
3-Lightly render in the mid-tone and shadow areas, and blend softly.
4-Blend out mid-tone to light areas softly.
5-This owl is dramatically lit, so finish by pumping up the shadows and blending cleanly.
Artist Trick
Notice that some areas have high contrast with shadow and light transitioning into each other quickly. Try just smudging here.
6-You’ll notice individual thin lines of feathers, especially around the face. You can go in with a fine-line white marker or try scratching with a blade. Or, look at the darker strokes around the face and render those.
TECHNIQUE STUDY
To re-create layered feathers or hairs, work from light to dark, gradually building up value with pressure. Start with large strokes, then as you get darker, refine it to smaller, shorter ones. Finish with highlights.
7-Render feathers in where you see a mid-tone value.
KEY-DETAIL PRACTICE
Re-create the feather pattern and texture. The feathers should be captured in value only; markings can be with more bolder lines.
8-Finish by rendering out the darker details, especially on the patterns and details around the eyes. Add a background to give the owl a sense of place.