This is Solaria and her owl, Starlight. They are my current characters for a Pathfinder RPG that my husband is running. I love how this turned out, but it took FOREVER! So many feathers! X.=.x
Since my roommate is dense and has apparently never seen an owl: yes, they do look like that. The owl was drawn from a reference. Owls don't tuck their legs under them when they fly, and they are very fluffy.
For the record, Starlight kicks ass. He has already killed a guard, has better stats than me, and can deliver my spells. He rolled a natural 20 for an attack, and what would have been an annoying claw to the face threw the guard off a bridge into a ravine. >.=.> You go owl. Owls rock.