In-Person Art Class: Sketching Birds 101 by Jess Michetti

In the spirit of Draw A Bird Day (04/08/2026), we will use pencils, pens and copy paper to enjoy drawing birds - together! This event celebrates drawing birds as a way to enjoy the challenge of putting pencil to paper and learn something about our subject along the way.

Draw A Bird Day began in the UK in the 1940s when a young girl asked her wounded uncle to draw a bird for her while visiting him in the hospital. He obliged, and the girl told him he was not a good artist and laughed. The simple act of drawing and sharing lifted his spirits, and from then on he and others in the hospital drew birds together every time the girl would visit, taking their minds off their injuries and bringing a bit of joy to the hospital ward. Draw a Bird Day is celebrated every year on her birthday, April 8.

We will talk about materials and techniques along the way as we draw an American Robin together, step-by-step. Absolutely no experience is required and all skill levels are welcome!

Jess Michetti is the graphic designer and artist behind Good Goose Graphics. She’s an avid bird watcher, and birds are her favorite subject to draw. She shares her highly detailed colored pencil drawings online and at northern Virginia area art shows throughout the year, and hopes that her work inspires viewers to to slow down, notice and care for the beauty of nature all around them…to choose wonder.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Audubon Society of Northern Virginia