Neighbor Chickens

My next door neighbors have chickens and have invited me over to sketch them whenever I like.  And really, I should go more often.

Anyhow, one cold winter day, I went over to the coop with just a black pen.  My goal was first to watch them for a while, and then to scribble some fast and loose sketches of the birds.

You can see, in the center chicken of the second page especially, me using my pen to explore the hens' features.  How does the beak fit under the eye?  What does it look like at slightly different angles? What are the proportions?

I find chickens really hard to draw!  I think I know what they look like, and that idea seems to get in my way.  They really are much more complicated than I think they are!

Such a great way to look more closely and get to know my feathery neighbors.