1st Grade - Wild Turkeys Inspired by John James Audubon

John James Audubon (Jean-Jacques Audubon) (April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851) was a French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He was notable for his expansive studies to document all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats. His major work, a color-plate book entitled The Birds of America (1827–1839), is considered one of the finest ornithological works ever completed. Audubon identified 25 new species.

As a class, we observed the wild turkey created by John James Audubon.  We started our drawing by visualizing the turkey in shapes (ovals, circles, triangles, etc.)  Once the turkey was shaped out, the students then added more detail, such as the feather designs, facial features, and overall texture.  The students used color pencils to finish their turkeys.