Page 44 - May/June 2022 Outdoor Oklahoma

“When you draw, you need to take in all the little details.
The scope helps me see so many elements that I may miss
with the naked eye.”
Kaspari’s initial sketches are often done quickly, and
are considered more “gesture drawings” than “mea-
sured drawings” that may not always accurately reflect
the bird’s proportions or dimensions. Once she has
the foundation of the sketch, she then fills in the finer
details, and often refers to field guides, photo refer-
ence, and drawing tutorials, like those from John Muir
Laws, or Tim Wootton. She’s even visited the Sam Noble
Oklahoma Museum of Natural History to learn from the
bird skins collected by George M. Sutton.
To attract her sketchbook subjects, Kaspari leans heavily
on the habitat found in her yard and neighborhood.
“Round Robins,” life-sketches through window during the February “We have native wildflowers, shrubs and trees in our
2021 deep-freeze. The birds appeared to be trying to stay warm by
puffing out their feathers like down jackets. yard, and the birds and other wildlife use those tangles to

“You really don’t need anything more than a sketchbook and pencil . Just get outside and explore
anything that catches your eye . Use the time with your sketchbook to improve your hand-eye
coordination and to get a better sense of whatever it is that you choose to draw .”

Sunflowers

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