Day Eighty-Nine: Draw a Bird Day

My friend Liza  www.lizawoodruffart.blogspot.com, told me that today is Draw a Bird Day.  Who knew?  You can read the heartwarming story at http://www.dabday.com/.  So here's my bird, a great egret in flight, drawn with pastel pencils from reference in The Reader's Digest Book of North American Birds, which has surprisingly excellent illustrations by a whole flock of bird illustrators.
Pastel pencils always baffle me.  There's the issue of sharpening them, of course, and then there's the almost irresitable urge to smudge the colors together with one's finger, something I remember being admonished for in some long-ago art class.   I don't know how many sets I've bought over the years, seduced by their glorious colors, only to have my teeth set on edge by the sound of the pencil point being scraped across a rough surfaced paper.  And the tips wear down as fast as the colors muddy up.  But though I am seldom satisfied with my results. they are quick, and immediate, and good for a quick sketch at the end of a long day,
Maybe it's best to leave them to more experienced wings  than mine.
Peggy