Àngela Maria Sierra, also known as Riso Chan, is a Spanish artist and the founder of the Amsterdam-based art school Bloom Art House. Her artwork revolves around portraits and nature.

For Zócalo’s latest Sketchbook, Sierra uses a loose and expressive watercolor technique to bring a series of birds to life. Watercolor is a notoriously difficult and unforgiving medium. With each stroke, the artist is forced to work quickly and decisively, as once the paint touches the paper, there is no way to make corrections. Sierra’s expressive characters, which she creates using minimal shapes, show off her mastery of the medium. The birds look alive on the page—and ready to take wing. (Except for the owl. The owl is judging you. Don’t take it personally. It’s an owl thing.)