Description
Birds are some of the most gorgeous creatures in the world! As a science illustrator, Nora spends a lot of time portraying birds with a good bit of attention to details. A working knowledge of bird anatomy helps improve the accuracy of bird illustrations, which in turn can make those illustrations more compelling to the viewer. It’s rewarding to get the details right, not only when birds are holding still, but also when they are engaged in movement such as flying, swimming, eating, building nests, etc. This workshop will help you to understand bird anatomy and use it to improve your bird artwork.
About the Instructor
Nora Sherwood has a professional certificate in natural science illustration from the University of Washington and is a working artist on the Oregon coast. Her science illustration work is guided by Baba Dioum’s famous quote, “In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we have been taught.” In addition to commissioned work for museums, interpretive signage, commercial products and scientific journals, Nora shows work in galleries around the Pacific Northwest and teaches workshops.
Learn More
www.norasherwood.com
Materials List
You will need to bring:
Pencil set for graphite studies (whatever pencils you like to use for sketching – Nora typically has 3 pencils on hand when she’s sketching – F, 2B, and 4B is a useful set).
Eraser, pencil sharpener, tortillion and/or stump if you like using them
Clear plastic ruler
Tracing paper if you like to use it for transferring sketches
A sketch pad for sketches and rough drafts
Watercolors – if you already has a set that you like, please bring it. If you don’t have watercolors or your set needs some updating, following are some colors Nora uses a lot. These are just suggestions – please don’t feel obligated to buy these as we won’t use a lot of paint in the class, and Nora would be happy to share a dab of hers if you’d like to try one.
- Phthalo blue
- Alizarin crimson
- New gamboge
- Winsor yellow
- Raw umber
- Burnt umber
- Raw sienna
- Burnt sienna
- Neutral tint
(Note on watercolors – Nora has found it really benefits her to pay the extra for good quality, professional paints, and she only uses tube paints.)
Brushes – other than a 1 1/2 inch wash brush, Nora exclusively uses round brushes, ranging in size from 8 to 1. Everybody has their favorite type of brush, and she likes Rosemary & Co. Snowdrops and Da Vinci Cosmotop spins… and a bonus is that they’re both vegan! Bring what you have, and buy a few new ones if yours are old and crusty.
Other watercolor materials – palette, water jars (Nora uses two), paper towels, and anything else you need.
Provided by instructors:
300 lb. hot press watercolor paper to share
Favorite tracing paper to share
Favorite drawing paper to share