Three Little Birds: A Stippling Art Series Inspired by Nature
Birds have often been a recurring subject in my art. I love drawing birds because they have so many delicate details in their feathers making them such an interesting subject to draw using stippling. I also love that each species has its own distinctive personality and little quirks, making them so much more than just beautiful subjects to draw. For this series, I wanted to capture three very different personalities: the cheerful Blue Tit, the quiet and bold Warbler, and the mischievous Nuthatch. Each little bird has its own story to tell.
Blue Tit: The Cheerful One
The Blue Tit may be tiny, but it has a big personality. It is energetic, curious and always seems to be on the move. I imagine this little bird as the cheerful one of the group, constantly investigating and going on little adventures.
Warbler: The Bold One
The Warbler has a hyperactive and inquisitive personality. Despite their fragile appearance warblers are very determined little birds that boldly embark on long migrations twice a year. Their boldness is also shown in their loud cheerful songs which they deliver with surprising intensity for such a small little bird.
Nuthatch: The Mischievous One
The Nuthatch is definitely the mischievous one of the group. It's unusual habit of climbing headfirst down tree trunks makes it seem like a bird that likes to play. I imagine it as confident, curious and just a little bit cheeky.
Creating the three little birds
Each bird was created by hand using thousands of tiny dots. This technique, known as stippling, involves building up an image using individual dots rather than traditional lines or blocks of colour.
The closer you look, the more dots you can see but from further away the tiny dots come together to create the shape and form of each bird.
Stippling is a technique that has become an important part of my art practice. I love how much patience and concentration it requires, making it a very meditative way to work. While I am drawing with dots I have to concentrate on each tiny detail, which makes creating a stippled artwork a very slow and present process.
For this series, I paired the detailed black-and-white stippling with green watercolour backgrounds. The loose, soft washes of green contrast with the precise dots of the birds, giving each artwork a feeling of being surrounded by nature.
My little bird artworks are inspired by the beauty of both Australian and international birdlife, making them a lovely choice for anyone looking for bird art, or nature-inspired art for their home. I also love that birds can represent ideas like freedom, hope, resilience and connection to nature, giving an artwork meaning beyond simply being a beautiful picture.
Three small artworks, one little collection
Although each bird is its own artwork, I designed the three pieces to work together as a collection.
The combination of detailed stippling, green watercolour and little birds gives the series a gentle, natural feeling. They can be displayed individually as small pieces of original bird art, or together as a little collection inspired by nature.
I love the idea that these three tiny birds can bring a little bit of the outdoors into someone's home.
About the artist
I'm Cobie Ann Moore, an Australian artist creating detailed nature and animal-inspired artworks. I work across a range of mediums and techniques, but most often use the stippling technique and watercolour painting.
My stippling artworks are created slowly by hand, building images with thousands of individual dots. I love creating artwork that encourages people to pause and appreciate the tiny details.
My Little Birds series brings together two of my favourite approaches to making art: the patience and precision of stippling and the loose, unpredictable beauty of watercolour.