Learning How to Draw an Owl Through Scrapbooking

When teaching your kids to draw, it's always a lot of fun to generate a good foundation of reference material. In the case of learning how to draw an Owl it is particularly important because of how rare and elusive the birds are in the wild. If you live in an urban environment it is highly likely that your child will reach adulthood without ever actually seeing an Owl outside of a zoo. That said there are a lot of great ways to build a base of inspirational reference materials without having to glimpse one in the flesh.

Scrap booking is by far my favourite method of gathering resource material; it not only builds a great resource but allows your child to be creative and be completely involved in the process. It's also very simple; all you need is a book with plain paper, either a children's scrapbook, or a bound visual diary (I find visual diaries tend to last a bit longer) and some glue.

Once you've gotten your scrap booking materials together it's time to get out there and find reference material! The easiest method by far is through Google, there are plenty of resources out there that have wonderful images of owls in their natural habitat. The bonus that comes with using Google is that you also learn valuable information about the Owls you are looking at.

Once you've collected your images together, print them out and stick them into your scrapbook. While your child is arranging their reference material and gluing it into the scrapbook, consider getting them to write down some of the information they have learnt during the search. This will help them remember what they have learnt in the future.

If you decide to use Google as a search tool, I have a short list of some very interesting owls for you to search for.

Tawny Frog Mouth - The Tawny Frog Mouth is one of my favourite owls; they're nothing short of adorable. I also find them particularly interesting because they don't look much like owls.
The Snowy Owl - The snowy owls are white with flecks of black through their feathers. Owls have evolved to camouflage themselves in their environment, and there's no better example of this than the Snowy Owl. When learning how to draw an owl it's fun to consider the environment they would be living in.
European Owl - When you think "owl" chances are this is the fellow that will pop into your head. The European Owl has stunning yellow eyes and brown plumage. They are a must have addition to your reference scrapbook.

There are over two hundred species of Owl on the planet so this is just a tiny list to help you get started!

Another way to find some great reference material is in wildlife magazines, there are many great titles out there. Next time you're at your local magazine store of news agency why not have a look around. If you decide to purchase some, you can cut out the pictures your child finds particularly interesting and stick them in your scrapbook. Alternatively you can keep them in a safe place to look at, at a later date.

Lastly if your local zoo or bird sanctuary has a couple of resident Owls you could always plan a trip to see them. If you do decide to go on a trip, don't forget to pack the camera. If your child is old enough, let them take some photos of their own. It will give them a sense of ownership over the photo and maintain interest in learning about Owls.

Learning how to draw an owl is a lot of fun. As with learning to draw anything, the best way to develop your skills is to look at the thing you're drawing. Owls are one of my favorite animals so I might be a little biased in saying you're have a lot of fun making an owl related scrapbook!

For more great ideas and activities to help teach your kids to draw check out "How to Draw: Forest Friends"

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