Wild Life Drawing

Such a special evening with the @stylistmagazine members @spitalfieldscityfarm 🫏 We were treated to an unseasonably warm April day, and some gorgeous evening sunshine, as we welcomed the lovely Stylist members to the farm with a delicious drink with farm herbs from @roseberyteahut 🌿 The wonderful Jenny (farm manager Jenny, not me) took us on a tour of the yard, stopping in to stroke the donkeys, tickle the pig and coo over the quails. We were soundtracked by the noisy sheep as we ran through some fun drawing exercises, applying the “potato with a face” technique to the guinea pigs. Then we spent some time getting to know the animals through sketching, hopping over the fence to hang out with the goats and enjoying the surprising calm and quiet, despite the E1 postcode. The biggest thank you to Spitalfields City Farm (you have my whole heart, anyone who hasn’t been MUST go immediately please) and to Sim @roseberyteahut (best brownies in town) and to the amazing @shotby_farheenxo for these lush photos and of course the lovely @stylistevents team for the opportunity 🐐 Pssst if you need some lovely farm drawing in your life, we’re Hackney City Farm to sketch the new babies on 11th June, and we’ll be back at Spitalfields in September 🐑

A little flavour of our wolf drawing classes, just in case you were wondering. And yes that is a real life howl (watch until the end.) The gorgeous @watermillwolves pack are back for more drawing (and stroking and cuddling) classes on Saturday 27th June @abneyparkcafe London N16 Don’t miss out! Pounce on those tickets over on the website 🐺

Eager for eagles? It’s high time we return for another virtual visit to @gauntlet_birdsofprey to hang out (live!) with some of the biggest wingspans in town. We will be sketching Eddie the Bateleur eagle, with his vibrant, fire-coloured beak, Manny the white tailed sea eagle, the biggest of all UK birds with the chunkiest of beaks and Holly the Bald Eagle, with call that will surprise you! Each of these fine feathers will be introduced by our favourite bird expert sibling duo, Daisy and Jake Bessant. They come from a family of falconers and birds truly run in their blood. Along with their dad, they run experiences and flying displays at the Gauntlet centre, as well as raising endangered hatchlings, supporting breeding programs to help wild populations and rescuing birds in need. Daisy will give us an insight into their unusual lives, growing up with birds as their extended family. Eagle admirer and artist Jennie Webber will be hosting the class; beginning with an introduction to drawing moving models and a look at raptor anatomy. The class is open to all abilities so whether you haven’t drawn since school or you draw on the daily, we promise this class will boost your confidence and lower your stress levels. Join Jennie online, Wednesday 10th June, 7-8.30pm BST.

🦉🦅🪺🪶 A wonderful day drawing and flying birds of prey @thehawkingcentre with @wildlifedrawing . We were first greeted by Xavier the Bald Eagle and Ted the 1-month old baby owl. Then we observed Maggie the African Hooded Vulture trying to open a bag of snacks and bossed her little sister Mavis to do the hard work for her. We then drew Arthur the European Eagle Owl who was looking dashing with his plumicorns. After the drawing section, we flew Arthur, Maggie, Mavis, plus Fred the Great Grey Owl with the really flat face and Moet the Chilean Blue Eagle. At the end of the event, we had a bonus session with 2 baby Barn Owls who are so young they have to be trained to eat and to flap their tiny little wings 🥹 We also learned a lot about these birds and why their conservation is both important and challenging. Experiences like this have a powerful impact. To quote Sir David Attenborough - ”No one will protect what they don’t care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced.” #wildlifedrawing #sketch #animaldrawing #birdsofprey #owl #eagle #vulture

I met David Attenborough once… And what a day it was. I’d been kindly commissioned by the society of biology (c/o a generous flatmate at the time) to design a special pocket square (decorated with all the species named after him) as a thank you to the big man, on behalf of the charity. And got to present it to him at an event at the science museum. Here I am in my best dress, little baby 26 (?) year old me! He graciously accepted my gift with a little peck, can confirm he has the softest cheeks in the biz! And he even sent a handwritten thank you letter, now a treasured possession. And now Sir DA is 100, and still inspiring us all. The programmes made closer to (his) home are just as inspiring as those made at the ends of the earth, making us all appreciate the nature in our everyday. Wild Life Drawing is basically based on something he said which goes a little like this “No one will protect what they don’t care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced”. Happy birthday David Attenborough, the whole world is celebrating with you, from the largest blue whale even down to the tiniest coral polyp 🪸

10/10 no notes, cheers April 🌞 Thanks to.. @spitalfieldscityfarm @roseberyteahut @eppingforestht @elmleynature @labs_worldwide @stylistevents @fortroadhotel @londonwildlifetrust @michellemisfitx @mudchute_farm @ourcuratedabode

Great news! The baby owls have hatched safely and are growing into healthy, strong owlets – and they want to meet YOU. We have a special one-off class coming up on Wednesday 20th May @loom.club where you can meet, draw and adore these little babies at the fluffiest stage of their development. Over half of tickets are already sold, so shake a tail feather if you want to meet them! The cloud-like baby barn owls and the cheeky African spotted chicks will all be loose, and they will be very curious so expect plenty of (very cute) chaos. Jennie will be teaching you how to finesse your floof and Paul will be sharing stories of bringing up baby owls in your own home. It’s as adorable and as crazy as you imagine. This is the first and only time we’ll be drawing them this year (although they will be making an appearance at the Drawing & Flying Day) so don’t miss out. Flap on over to the website to grab your tickets now!

We don’t do this often. These are just a few moments of magic from our Drawing & Flying Day in 2024, capturing the calm and the quiet of the Kent countryside, the freedom to create and the awe-inspiring experience of having a giant bird of prey land on your glove. We have just a handful of tickets left for Saturday 9th May, our full day workshop at Eastwell Manor with @thehawkingcentre Easily accessible by train to Ashford from London (I will be helping to coordinate transport) and open to all levels of artistic ability (especially beginners and bird lovers) it’ll be a real adventure. And we can guarantee a glimpse of the baby owls 🦉

This #weirdwednesday let’s play a game of spot the seahorse! Possibly the least fish-like of all the fish in the ocean, seahorses aren’t great swimmers but they can really hide. Camouflage comes easy for seahorses and they use a similar adaptation as chameleons to adjust their colour AND texture to match their environment. Pygmy seahorses have even evolved tubercules (specialised bumps) on their skin to mimic the coral polyps on which they live, for super invisibility! Next Tuesday 5th May, join Jennie and the man who classified the two seahorses species in the UK, in turn protecting their habitat. That’s Neil Garrick-Maidment, founder and director of @seahorsetrust All tickets sold include a full recording of tbe online session, with 50% profits donated to seahorse conservation.

Take a dive and learn to draw seahorses, icons of the seafloor. �Give me 90 minutes and I’ll teach you how to create an artwork you can really be proud of, in the comfort of your own home. Relaxing and mindful, this online class will deepen your knowledge of seahorses and connect you with the natural world.��Jennie will be hosting our next online class on Tuesday 5th May, 7pm BST. A full recording is included in your ticket and 50% is donated to @seahorsetrust Head to wildlifedrawing.co.uk or click the link in bio 🌊

Margate’s new obsession? Meet Madam Mimm. ✔️Rhino iguana ✔️Rescued and lovingly rehomed ✔️BAFTA winner ✔️Friend of Sir David Attenborough ✔️Partially blind (always with a trusted human) ✔️Third eye ✔️Will do anything for a banana We had such a fun evening @fortroadhotel with @tomstalkingreptiles learning all about these resplendent reptiles, how snakes DO have personalities and how bearded dragons can change colour. Everyone fell for Madam Mimm, and collectively we couldn’t take our eyes off her. Reptile royalty indeed. Thanks so much to everyone that came along, for your enthusiasm and your energy and your amazing artworks! Next up: a Sighthound Special @gather_ramsgate 🐾

If you’ve ever been to one of our drawing classes, you’ll know something truly magical happens when you get close to birds. And when a giant eagle lands on your glove, well, that’s as close to pure, childlike-awe, joy as you can get. If you want a piece of that, join us for an immersive bird of prey experience with our favourite falconry team @thehawkingcentre on Saturday 9th May. We’ll spend the morning out in the gorgeous grounds on Eastwell Manor, drawing eagles, vultures, hawks and owls from life. Jennie will be gently guiding you through the creative process step by step, so regardless of your ability level your feathers will be finessed and your beaks will be brilliant. After lunch our small group will don the gloves and watch as the birds spread their wings, soar through the skies, and land right on your glove. All materials, refreshments and equipment will be provided for the day and your £165 ticket includes a specialised drawing workshop AND a VIP falconry experience. Plus (and this is a BIG plus) there might be baby owls involved 🐣 Please feel free to get in touch with any questions about the day, or transport, we are happy to help.