There are a number of names out there for the illustration of the natural world around us such as, field studies, scientific illustrations, field sketchbook, botanical bird illustrations, natural studies and field notes. Each of these have different goals and specifics from capturing the beauty of the animal and plant kingdoms to including the many phases of the life cycle. One important aspect of all of these is being a keen observer of detail and making sure your work is correct. With the internet we have so much information at our fingertips to check and increase our knowledge of just about anything we observe in nature. I have recently started a series of field studies where I will use my pen & ink with watercolor and pencil sketching. Here is the first of this series, the Ruby Throated Hummingbird. Notice the hummingbird nest in the upper left corner of this photo. I watched a hummingbird build this nest right outside my window in an Arizona bougainvillea bush. As we lived beside a cotton field you can see the nest is made of cotton. Sadly, a heavy rainstorm ruined the bird’s plans to lay eggs and raise young but it was still a magical experience watching the nest building process.
Giclee prints available in my shop-
