If you want to paint lifelike bird portraits, this guide to working in graphite and coloured pencils is one of the best you'll find.

Alan doesn't just concentrate on technicalities, he also considers the character and habitat of each of his subjects. This is not a book for the beginner and you'll need to be confident with your materials if you're to get the most out of it.

The rewards, however, are immense and Alan will guide you through the complexities of mark-making, of the form and structure of your subject and the composition of
the drawing itself.

Although this is a complex subject, Alan breaks the many stages down into understandable sections and he is not blind to the challenges that present themselves.