Cardinal on a Berry Branch in a Square Glass Panel Coloring Page

A cardinal perches in profile on a berry branch, facing left, with its crest raised and its long tail running down to the lower right corner. The wing carries a short run of feather shapes and the rest of the body stays open, so this bird is one of the easier subjects on the sheet to fill. The face mask and throat print solid black, which is accurate to the species and means you leave that part exactly as it comes off the printer.

The branch is the detail work. Round berries hang in small clusters along it, each one its own closed shape, with pointed leaves spaced between them. Count on the berries taking the longest, because they are small and there are several.

Behind the bird the glass runs as an irregular brick pattern, rectangles of different widths stacked in rows. A heavy frame with mitered corners wraps the whole panel and reads as a beveled lead came. Those background rectangles are the place to be loose. Alternate two close values at random rather than laying down one flat tone, and the brickwork stops competing with the bird. Keep the frame dark. Markers handle the body and the background; use a pencil on the berries. Budget thirty minutes, and sharpen a pencil before you start on the berries.