Birdsong

SURFACE DESIGN

The motifs in this collection are part of a larger art piece. Patterns were actually an afterthought. The birdhouses were created as simple perspective drawings and trued up in Illustrator. A lot of reference images were used for the birds (not all are songbirds). Birds can be simple, but different types require different shapes; think of a cardinal. Different poses were required, and although specific types of birds were not needed so much as showing different expressions and indications of interaction. Specific markings were glossed over and internal shapes were simplified, like feathers. Generalization was necessary anyway because too much detail would be lost, especially on the larger illustration planned. The planned pieced is twelve blocks with different birdhouses and and various birds, all with expressions and differing gaze directions to indicate how they regard one another, kind of like an aviary apartment community. Detail is an issue, as is color, which may need to be reigned in, but on a when-and-if basis. So many birds, so little space.

This collection is available for licensing. Please note the additional patterns in the examples that do not appear in the grid.