Mix-and-Match Paper Birds

Items you will need:

-Paper

-Pencil

-Art supplies (can be crayons, watercolor, markers, etc;)

-Reference of a cool bird

Using the photo of the bird you chose, find simple shapes you can break it down into. For example, maybe the beak is just a triangle or maybe it's a curved hook. Pick whatever imagery best helps you break the bird into easy components to draw. Once you have picked your components, begin to draw them out on your paper(s), leaving enough room to eventually cut out each piece with no difficulties.

After you have drawn out the pieces of your bird(s), the next step is to cut out the pieces. if you have created multiple birds, keep track of which parts belong to which bird. (Tip: If you used pencil on watercolor paper or any other paper able to hold a light wash of water, dip a paintbrush into clean water and lightly dab the water onto your drawing. This helps prevent the graphite from smudging when you are cutting out the pieces)

Finally, the fun part begins: it's time to begin coloring!

You can choose to color in your bird according to your reference picture or with any colors you choose. You can can even mix-and-match different parts of your birds to create brand new species! (Fun side idea: you can create accessories for your birds such as top hats and necklaces. Stylish birds!)