Embroidering (?) a handkerchief- novice alert!

[topbannana]

I was wondering if anyone can help me? We are now firmly in the "not spending much on Christmas" camp and have really got into homemade gifts for family and friends (mostly chutneys and jams but also cakes and biscuits)
DH is into shooting and (to my great disgust!) uses cotton handkerchiefs when "in the field" as tissues quickly get wet and soggy
I saw in a book recently (I think it was Kirsty Allsopp) that you can embroider plain handkerchiefs as gifts, though the example given was flowers. As I have several months to go, u thought I would like to have a go at embroidering a pheasant on a hankie, similar to this (ridiculously long!) link:
www.google.co.uk/search?client=safari&hl=en-gb&biw=320&bih=416&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=tWAGUvWNEOTY0QXV24GYAg&q=flying+pheasant+clip+art&oq=flying+pheasant+clip+art&gs_l=mobile-gws-serp.3..0i24.100283.102258.0.103614.7.7.0.0.0.0.383.1563.1j3j1j2.7.0....0...1c.1.24.mobile-gws-serp..2.5.830.4frON7PC73c#biv=i%7C7%3Bd%7COb4pouYbNArDDM%3A
So how do I go about it? I know I will need a hoop and a hankie, needles and thread but what then?!
I have good eyesight and quite nimble fingers, as well as having a few months to spare. I also did a little embroidery many years ago at school.
Does the design look like it may be too complex, is a 100% cotton hankie suitable material and if so, do I simply draw my design on and go from there or is there somewhere I can get a proper pattern made?
Many thanks if you have got this far :)

Start practising on scrap now...look here for stitch instructions and try them out...then print out images that you like and trace them onto paper...reverse the paper and go over it with a soft pencil....choose a simple design to begin with...you can buy special pens which will create iron on transfers if you prefer....

I do all my embroidery from my own drawings...it's a lot of fun once you get going! Buy some nice linen ...half a metre or so...and sew your own hems onto large squares of it...that's cheaper than good quality hankies.

I would say that the pheasant looks like it should be completed in satin stitch and long and short stitch

Personally, I would consider doing one of the black outline ones. Its still obvioisly a pheasant but I think it would be easier and more practical for him to use.

I did a redwork piece once...it was an animal too OP and it looked great...have a look here redwork pheasant it's easier but looks very eyecatching and it's such a satisfying way to embroider too,.

Fantastic thanks :)
Will get myself a hoop and start some of the practise stitches. I want to keep it a secret so need to work out a hiding place too