Banty with Dala chicks

Banty Hen with Red Dala Chicks
2013

Feathers require a lot of details. This was my first attempt at drawing poultry, and I impressed myself by the hen. Texture is a good part of what makes a drawing realistic, and I like to think I nailed her feathers. Then I learned how difficult chicks are to draw--how do you create fuzz? They have almost no sharp edges at all, just fuzz. I think I'm still figuring out how to do chicks properly, but even if they're not quite real, they're still cute.

Image courtesy Etsy shop MazuliVintage1

While the Dala horse may be the most popular of the carved wooden animals, Dala roosters and pigs are also fairly common. I have to say, the Dala chicks are both easier and harder to draw than a grown rooster; they're so much smaller and less work, but they're less iconic and recognizable. As people unfamiliar with the Swedish carvings often think of Dala horses as carousel horses, so they tend to think of the chicks as Easter chicks.