19 November 2010

Natural History

The League of Gentlemen Draughtsmen invited me to The Natural History Museum to do some drawing in public (without a safety net). I do enjoy drawing wildlife, but stuffed animals are so much more obliging. I got cramp drawing this African Openbill because I had to stand: the museum no longer provides folding chairs for artists. I blame the cuts.

But the best exhibits are the human specimens...there were hundreds to chose from in the Museum cafe.
Pen and ink with brushpen. A4 size. Click to enlarge.

4 comments:

Oscar Grillo said...

I sugest the group to try an sketch outing to the Piccadilly Station public lavs.

Kevin Musgrove said...

I'l suitably impressed that you managed to infuse some life into the stork.

One of the most depressing things about some natural history illustration is that some artists will paint a lovingly-rendered live habitat behind an equally-lovingly rendered taxidermist's specimen and not realise the lack of integrity in the finished picture.

Olaf Johansson said...

The old bird lacks a Nadlerian propeller or an extra beak in the neck or something.

Marcus Mientus said...

yep.