The loon is a bird that lives on the lakes of the northern parts of our country, especially the wild areas of the Great Lakes region. It is a beautiful bird with black and white feathers, and it makes a haunting call, especially in the quiet evenings.

This beautiful picture was made by a kid from Minnesota where loons are often seen. The bird itself is a print, made by drawing a picture in a sheet of foam...then spreading ink on top and pressing down paper to create a print. You could also draw a loon with black feltpen on white paper...but creating a foam printing block lets you make lots and lots of loons...as many as you want.

The printed loon was cut out and glued onto a colored background. Our kid artist decided to make his picture in the shape of a circle...a pretty variation from more common rectangles and square pictures.

Here's what you'll need to make a picture of a loon or any other favorite bird or animal:

• Paper and black felt pen to draw your critter (or printmaking supplies to print one)
• Crayons or colored pencils
• Paper for the background...cut into a circle if you like
• White glue
• Scissors