Doing "Getting to Know You" sketches is a good way to get back into it. No pressure to do something beautiful, just trying to get an idea of how things work.
For the cardinal, I messed around in the sketchbook until I started seeing the shape of the bird. Cardinals, with their crests, make a distinctive teardrop shape if you catch them at the right angle.
The thing to remember about cardinals, or any crested birds for that matter, is that the crest will obscure the actual shape of the head (which is, I suppose, the point of having a crest). I'm not sure I'm getting it just yet, but it's something to be aware of.
Tomorrow: a line drawing.
