Bad Paper and Birds

I have had the opportunity many times in the last month to experience the excited rush of hummingbirds. Ghost Ranch, where we camped at the beginning of the month, had a few kinds. I drew them super fast.

At Libby’s cabin last weekend there were flocks of hummers.

Annas and Broadtailed hummingbirds dominated. Rufous came in third. This was a lively crowd, buzzing and confronting and zipping around like maniacs.

It was really hard to get it down on paper! And very bad, awful paper at that.

I am using a horrible journal. The paper is handmade, and looks very pretty. It is covered with sizing and does not absorb much, and it is very textured. It is so bad, in fact, that I am determined to use the entire thing just to prove to myself that I am not a paper snob. I am of course, but still…

Using this bad paper and trying to draw wild birds that move faster than nearly any other living thing is giving me permission to not be fussy. My expectations are low, so I am having lots of fun. Try it out. Get out that bad paper and draw the fastest thing around you. Maybe your kid, your dog, the black biting flies that infest Nebraska? Having no expectations is a huge release!

Here are some fun facts to know and tell about hummingbirds.

	the hummingbird is the smallest bird and also the smallest of all animals that have a backbone.
	a hummingbird has no sense of smell
	because the hummingbird can rotate its wings in a circle, they are the only bird that can fly forwards, backwards, up, down, sideways and  hover in mid air.

Find more facts about hummers here.

As for paper, I have 26 pages in this bad journal to go. What was I thinking?