Okay, so I saw this “Herky the Hawk” thing and thought, “Why not?” I’m always up for trying something new, and this looked kinda cool. I’m no artist, but I figured I’d give it a shot.

First, I needed to figure out what this Herky the Hawk actually is. Turns out, it’s the mascot for the University of Iowa. I looked up some pictures online, just to get a feel for it. Lots of yellow and black, that fierce-looking hawk head… I could picture it in my head.
I grabbed a pencil and some paper. I’m most comfortable using paper, so I start with the pencil.
My Steps
- Find a reference: First, I searched the internet for many images of Herky the Hawk to use as references.I tried to find images of herky the hawk in different poses.
- Sketch the Basic Shapes: Then I started by lightly sketching the basic shapes of Herky. I started with a circle for the head and added the rough shape of the *’s important not to press too hard with the pencil at this stage.
- Draw Beak and Eyes: I worked a bit more on the head, trying to get that beak shape right. Then, I sketched some simple * part was a little tricky.
- Adding Detailes:I added more details, like the feathers, the determined eyes, and the lines around the beak. I used the reference images to make sure.I got these details.
- Filling In Colors:I used markers to add the classic black and yellow *’s very important to choose the right color.
- Finished:Take a look at my final result,It’s not perfect, but it’s my version of Herky the Hawk.
It took a few tries. My first attempt looked more like a confused chicken than a hawk. I erased a lot. But I kept at it, using those pictures as a guide. Slowly, it started to resemble something, you know, hawk-like.
The beak was definitely the hardest part. Getting that curve and point just right… man, that took some work. The eyes were important too – I wanted to make sure Herky looked tough, not goofy.
After I had the basic outline down, I went over it with a darker pencil, making the lines more defined. Then came the fun part – coloring! I grabbed my markers and went to town with the yellow and black. It’s amazing how much difference color makes. Suddenly, my kinda-okay drawing looked way more like the real deal.
I’m not gonna lie, it’s not perfect. It’s definitely not winning any art awards. But you know what? I did it. I took something I saw, and I made my own version of it. And that’s pretty cool.
