T stands for....ink and pen

You know, that I sketch a LOT of birds (and occassionally some other animals or things). I do oit while watching tv or being on the phone, in boring meetings or while sitting on a park bench.

I mostly use a pencil for these sketches and am able to correct a wrong line. Every now and then the only pen available is a fineliner or a fountain pen. I decided I need to practice this a bit more: sketching things without the possibility to erase.

This Eurasian Wren is very small and done with a calligraphy pen.

Some days ago I filled a whole page with garden birds, while watching tv and using a fountain pen with black sketching ink. Not all turned out good, proportions off etc., but overall I  love them.

Robin is always easy and recognisable due to the markings.

And so is the Wren. Technically only an orb with a beak and a tail. That's how I started to learn drawing birds and I found such simple how-to's like this one by John Muir Laws very helpful, as talent is not everything and practice is the key.

The same is the Long-Tailed Tit, which is also only an orb with a long tail and a short beak. A fellow birder told me, that most birds only need very few lines to be recognisable and he is true.

And now for the drink to join in on Bleubeard and Elizabeth's T stands for....: A co-worker gave me this Pumpkin Spice Tea. It smelled good, but like many teas, it didn't hold what it was promising. :( Hope your tea experience was better today!