Alright, let me tell you about what I got up to today. Decided I wanted to tackle drawing Herky the Hawk. You know, the mascot. Seemed like a fun little project.
So, first thing, I had to actually find some decent pictures to work from. Just went online and searched around for a bit. Found a few good poses, picked one that looked kinda classic, you know, determined looking.
Next, I gathered my stuff. Nothing fancy. Just some plain paper, a few pencils – a regular HB for sketching and a darker one, maybe a 2B, for some lines later – and a trusty eraser. Always need the eraser.
Getting Started with the Sketch
I started really light, just trying to get the basic shapes down. You know, circles for the head, oval for the body. Didn’t want to press too hard yet. Learned that lesson the hard way plenty of times. It’s way easier to fix light lines.
Then I focused on the head. That hawk head is pretty distinct. Getting the beak right, that downward curve, took a few tries. Erased quite a bit there. Then positioned the eyes. Getting that fierce look is key, right?
- Shaped the head feathers.
- Worked on the beak angle again.
- Placed the eyes carefully.
Building the Body and Details
Once the head felt okay-ish, I moved onto the body. Tried to get the proportions right compared to the head. Sketched out the wings, kept them tucked in like in the picture I was using. Added the legs and those tricky talons.
Then came the detailing. This part takes patience.
I started adding some definition. Darkened some lines I was happy with. Tried to show the feathers without drawing every single one, more like suggesting the texture. Used the darker pencil for emphasis around the eyes and beak.
Cleaned up stray lines with the eraser as I went. Stepped back a few times to look at it from a distance. Helps to see if the overall shape is working.
Finishing Touches
Didn’t go for color this time. Just wanted to get the black and white sketch done. I added a bit more shading, just some simple cross-hatching here and there to give it a little depth. Mostly under the beak, under the wings, stuff like that.
And… that was pretty much it. Didn’t turn out perfect, mind you. The proportions might be slightly off, and the talons look a bit weird if you stare too long. But hey, I spent the time, I worked through the process, and I ended up with something that definitely looks like Herky the Hawk. It was a good practice session. That’s the main thing, right? Just doing it.
