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Abstract

make it bigger.</p><figure id="9a2d"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*ptL77QAnSjQWs1SW0_TrwQ.jpeg"><figcaption>Painting by <a href="undefined">Susan Alison</a></figcaption></figure><p id="6235">So, a robin is recognised mainly by its colour and also by its backdrop.</p><figure id="226a"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*LZtKgfnFthd5iLzvkQKAjw.jpeg"><figcaption>‘Dawn rendezvous’ by <a href="undefined">Susan Alison</a></figcaption></figure><p id="6071">These two robins above aren’t the right shape for a robin — if you look closely at a robin’s anatomy — but because of the patches of red (not even in the right place on the bird) and the backdrop of snowiness, we ‘know’ they are robins.</p><p id="e9e1">Of course, now that we’ve analysed them, we’re not sure if they are, indeed, robins …</p><p id="4a31">We don’t usually analyse what we look at, like we have in this article. We just glance and our brain tells us what we’re seeing.</p><p id="9fc7">So, to put a robin into a snowy scene just a circle and a blob of red will do. Add another couple of lines for beak and wing, and it’s even more convincing.</p><p id="46c3">Having said all that, I shall now write an article about how to draw a robin from scratch:</p><div id="0db9" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-to-draw-a-robin-93ba177b93e6"> <div> <div> <h2>How to Draw a Robin</h2> <div><h3>Still a brown and red blob, but with a few more bits</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*6SY0ne_H4ZPxag_EsYV1vw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="5ff3">**I have concentrated on the European robin rather than the American robin.</p><figure id="94f9"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*bZL6aIn6hKFMRWq6"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="2b2f"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*Cc7WNHOWyqqr_sCS"><figcaption>European robin (L) photo by Chris Smith on Unsplash; and American robin (R) photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@blendertimer?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Daniel Roberts</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><p id="7ff1">

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All photos and paintings are by <a href="undefined">Susan Alison</a> 2021 except for the European robin and American robin photos directly above this sentence.</p><div id="ddb9" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-to-draw-a-robin-93ba177b93e6"> <div> <div> <h2>How to Draw a Robin</h2> <div><h3>Still a brown and red blob, but with a few more bits</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*6SY0ne_H4ZPxag_EsYV1vw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="aa30" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-to-draw-spooky-bats-69cf9f8ed185"> <div> <div> <h2>How to Draw Spooky Bats</h2> <div><h3>For your Halloween Creations</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*gq0cKsEsICR8PmES8Hov2w.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="65cd" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-to-draw-a-dog-47edf022b368"> <div> <div> <h2>How to Draw a Dog</h2> <div><h3>How to draw Barker, and his pals, Howler, and Woofer and Growler and …</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*qAhR07l7NET66b7wiT3Rcg.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="6c86"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B005HU4YWI?_encoding=UTF8&node=283155&offset=0&pageSize=12&searchAlias=stripbooks&sort=author-sidecar-rank&page=1&langFilter=default#formatSelectorHeader">Susan’s Amazon Page</a> / <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SusanAlisonArt?ref=seller-platform-mcnav">Susan’s Etsy Store</a> / <a href="http://xn--%20susan%20alison%202021%20susan%20alisons%20amazon%20page%20%7Csusans%20etsy%20store-04c13311e2a/">Susan’s newsletter sign-up</a></p><p id="eecf">Read more from me: © <a href="undefined">Susan Alison</a> 2021</p></article></body>

HOW TO DRAW

How to Make a Blob Look Like a Robin

Or, how to make a robin look like a blob …

A lot of what we recognise when we look at a picture is what we expect to see.

Because we’re expecting it, that is what we see.

This makes drawing/painting a lot easier than we tend to think it is. We just have to work out what most of us expect to see.

When we think of a robin, a bird, we first think of a splash of red. *see bottom of article about different types of robin.

Then it’s down to the backdrop against which we see the robin.

Take this snowdog above. He’s made of snow. He’s lying in a snowy landscape. It’s also snowing.

So, if you were to see something round which was a bit brown but also a bit red, your brain would make all the connections without any conscious thought and it would think — hey, a robin! And you’d ‘see’ a robin.

Painting of a snowdog with a round brown, white and red blob by Susan Alison

You’re already thinking of a robin because of the shape and the colour and the snowy environment.

Painting of a snowdog with a blob that makes you think of a robin on his head by Susan Alison

Add an eye to the round brown, white and red blob and you can ‘see’ the robin even more than before.

Painting of a snowdog with a robin-shaped and robin-coloured blob standing on his head by Susan Alison

Having added an eye then we might as well add some other bits — beak, legs, tail. We knew it was a robin, but now it’s more of a robin.

And, if we’re going to actually draw a robin rather than just a blob we know is a robin, we might as well make it bigger.

So, a robin is recognised mainly by its colour and also by its backdrop.

These two robins above aren’t the right shape for a robin — if you look closely at a robin’s anatomy — but because of the patches of red (not even in the right place on the bird) and the backdrop of snowiness, we ‘know’ they are robins.

Of course, now that we’ve analysed them, we’re not sure if they are, indeed, robins …

We don’t usually analyse what we look at, like we have in this article. We just glance and our brain tells us what we’re seeing.

So, to put a robin into a snowy scene just a circle and a blob of red will do. Add another couple of lines for beak and wing, and it’s even more convincing.

Having said all that, I shall now write an article about how to draw a robin from scratch:

How to Draw a Robin

Still a brown and red blob, but with a few more bits

medium.com

**I have concentrated on the European robin rather than the American robin.

European robin (L) photo by Chris Smith on Unsplash; and American robin (R) photo by Daniel Roberts on Unsplash

All photos and paintings are by Susan Alison 2021 except for the European robin and American robin photos directly above this sentence.