People are becoming more aware of the birds in their own backyards during quarantine, and many more people are becoming birders. This silver lining of taking more time to notice and listen to the life around us is hopefully one that we can carry with us beyond these challenging times. In this class, students focus on the group of birds known as seabirds. There are many species of seabirds that are foraging just offshore in the winter, so now is a great time to learn a little bit more about the beautiful seabirds that call Massachusetts home during this season. Start with a slide show illustrating many of the species you can expect to see, and some of the coastal areas that are best for spotting them, then draw (or paint, if you have watercolors) a particular species of seabird from a photo. This class is very interactive and allows for questions about local birds that participants are seeing and hearing.

The teacher, a life-long artist and biologist, loves to teach the art of noticing—letting go of what you think something should look like, and noticing the shapes and darks and lights first, not the overall outline of an object. Work on pencil drawings of birds by experimenting with techniques (shading and smudging, etc.), focusing on ways to make drawings look most realistic. If time allows (and participants have paints), also practice some watercolor techniques for painting waterfowl and water. This class is ideal for parents and their children to learn together—often kids feel a little more free to make mistakes if they see their parents willing to try and try again.

Materials: pencil, paper, eraser; watercolor optional; binoculars and field guide to birds helpful but not required.

Classes are held virtually using Zoom and Google Classroom depending on the teacher’s preference.  For questions, email Caroline Provost at caroline@theumbrellaarts.org.