True, the peacock example is very like the owl meme

https://live.staticflickr.com/3549/3546657319_57861e46ff_b.j...

Not really. If you get the basic shapes and angles down, drawing the plumes is easy. Just try it! A funny thing about drawing is that some things which look simple is hard, and some things which looks impressive is really easy. Shapes, proportions, movement and perspective is generally hard. Textures, patterns, tones and shadows is relatively easy since you are just "filling in".

In the owl meme, some of the hard things (like getting the perspective and angles of the eyes and face correct) is glossed over.

Not really, this one has small progressions between each steps, and seems like a cool reference, while you're link is just a joke?

The peacock though is pretty close to the meme..

True, but presumably once the reader has worked their way up to this part of the book, they'd have built up the needed skills for drawing this one.

Not really, that's the point of the meme: you just follow explicit steps and then have to make a logical leap in understanding the actual subject. It's a fail at all levels when the author adds detail from their own knowledge/experience the student is unaware of. Frustration will follow...

Books like these are what the meme is based on.

Yes, but this at least tells you how to draw the rest of the fking owl. https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3649/3523029611_12c3a0c9f2_m...

I think the difference between that meme and these instructions is that a novice could actually follow these instructions and get better at drawing.

Yes, but p29 gives you all the intermediate steps :)