HowToDrawWildLife.Com

It never ceases to amaze me at the incredible opportunities that colour my world as a result of my career as an artist. I would now like to share one of those experiences after recently visiting Las Vegas for a Licensing Expo.

The trade show convention centre was colossal. I stayed close to my agent so I wouldn’t get lost while he pointed things out to me like he knew this place like ‘the back of his hand’.

The centre was buzzing with energy as people scurried along to meetings to hopefully make that next all important deal while others were stopped in their tracks by colourful characters dressed up in fancy, furry or glittering promotional costumes. Some booths had huge stands almost the size of a building without a penny spared while others were smaller and more subtle hoping to get noticed.

After many kilometres of walking I was starting to feel weary as my 17-hour flight from Australia started to take it’s toll but then I felt a new lease of energy as my agent prompted me to ‘get in line’. Can you believe it? There he was. It was the legendary actor Tony Curtis! I waited patiently and observed the memorabilia filling his booth surrounded by prints of his paintings. Before I knew it, it was my turn! My heart skipped a beat as I walked towards him and he graciously took my hand while I had my photo taken with him.

As I told him how honoured I was to meet him and that I came from Australia he gently told me, “I can see it in your eyes”. I thought that was such a genuine and loving thing to say.  In just that brief meeting I got to feel and experience the energy of such a charming, gracious, warm-hearted and exceptionally gifted man.

Despite his age and his illness he still carried himself with majesty and grace.

This is an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Regards,
Geri

When I go to the zoo to photograph animals for my reference I go with an open mind with the intent to photograph the animals, as I would imagine them living in their natural habitat.

While the animals at the zoo are not living in their natural habitat I look for some extra help from books and the Internet to inspire me to create the environment and even the ‘mood’ of that environment through the use of colour in order to create a ‘whole’ drawing.  I usually mix and match several references until I come up with the right background and/or foreground while much of the time my imagination comes into play, particularly with clouds and leaves.

However, sometimes ‘less is more’ where I use very little background or foreground if I am focusing more on the animals face. In this case I am intending to draw the viewer to the animals eyes in order to aspire a connection with its soul. If the actual animal takes up more space on the page I tend to show just a hint of its natural environment like some long grass in front of some lions for instance.

Most of the time I have a fairly set idea of how I would approach the background or foreground yet sometimes it turns out completely differently as I work along.

With my “Gentle giants” that I photographed at the Western Plains zoo, initially I was to draw them showing a typical African day with the full sun shining but it just wasn’t working. Something within me inspired me to draw clouds. I trusted this ‘voice within’ and ended up with a unique drawing that portrayed their natural habitat yet with a different mood that complimented the elephants perfectly.

After many years of drawing I now approach each drawing with a completely open mind and trust my creativity to guide me. In life I’ve learned that sometimes my biggest ‘mistakes’ turn out to be my biggest ‘gifts’.

I am always in awe of the diversity of wildlife that is a part of our world and for the unique traits and strengths each species exudes that inspires me.

If I’m not drawing a commission I can choose any animal to draw yet sometimes that is not as easy as it sounds. What do I do when I look at a blank piece of paper and nothing comes to me? One thing I do is to travel back in time in my mind and recall my visits to the zoo, seeing wildlife in my own area and even better still recall when I witnessed them in the wild. I remember their beauty, power and their intelligence. However, sometimes I need a more specific direction and this is where knowing more about animals is useful.

I believe it really helps to know everything about the animal or the animals that I am drawing because when I know about an animal I develop an even deeper respect and see those qualities mirrored in me as I aspire to communicate that to the viewer.

What has helped me to become inspired by wildlife is to learn more about their behaviour and how they survive in their habitat by reading about them and even watching the occasional nature show on TV or DVD that I borrow from the local library.

Another means that I use to learn more about the unique traits and strengths of animals is to visit animal spirit sites online that are based on the ancient Shaman way of life where animal spirits have guided Shamans for thousands of years. One of these sites is http://animalspirits.com and there’s a really good book on this subject too called ‘Animal Speak’ by Ted Andrews that I refer to quite often.

I believe each species possess certain characteristics and strengths that we can draw on in order to enhance our living experience and hence help others as we learn more about ourselves. Depending on what is going on in my life at a particular time is what leans me towards a certain species as I call on their power and intelligence to propel me forward in my life or sometimes it may simply be their beauty that inspires me.