Birds, Birds, Birds

Taking a little break from dogs and cats, I have started working on birds.  My first efforts were simple timed drawing and looking at the directional design of feathers.

Quick little sketches, I set the timer for 8 minutes and made a game of it!

Looking at different types of eyes and comparing the highlight and encaustic areas to that of a human eye.  I'm also adding a bit of color for fun.  In the drawing of this bird of prey and the picture below I'm realizing how a birds jaw hinges much farther back than it would seem, it actually hinges below the eye, even if the beak itself doesn't seem to go back that far (see below).

Angle of lower jaw where it connects with the beak and the location of the jaw hinge.

A couple more timed sketches, deciphering the "egg shape" of the body and playing around with the directional design of the highlights of feathers.