Drawing Nature presents the creative process of an acclaimed nature artist, guiding readers from field sketches to finished art and demonstrating how science and the close observation of nature can be integrated into the artist’s work to create dynamic, meaningful images. With chapters that flow from drawing basics to more advanced methods and concepts, this beautifully illustrated book is like a look inside the artist’s sketchbooks to discover their secrets.
Linda Miller Feltner demonstrates how observation and recording are sparks to creativity. Her journey from loose sketches and drawings to a completed work begins with observing a natural process, object, or interaction between organisms. Her curiosity generates scientific inquiry that, when researched, helps her to answer a question or make broad, often surprising connections. Blending examples of her stunning artwork with invaluable insights into time-honored art techniques, Feltner illustrates how sketching, developing an image, and scientific accuracy are essential to her art and encourages each of us to cultivate our own powers of observation and discover anew the world around us.
Drawing Nature enables us to look at nature through an artist’s eyes, draw inspiration from a place or a moment, and give expression to its beauty.
Linda Miller Feltner is an award-winning artist, naturalist, and educator. Her books include A Haven in the Sun: Five Stories of Bird Life and Its Future on the Texas Coast, Brittle Stars and Mudbugs: An Uncommon Field Guide to Northwest Shorelines and Wetlands, and Alaska: The Ecotravellers’ Wildlife Guide.
"This book succeeds at every level. You will be enriched by reading it and thrilled with the wonders of nature that leap out from its pages."—David Gascoigne, Travels with Birds
"A must-have for anyone that appreciates nature art!"—Ian Paulsen, Bird Booker Report
"A visually beautiful, useful book by an encouraging, supremely talented natural history artist."—Library Journal
“In Drawing Nature, Linda Miller Feltner takes us into the field with her as she studies the natural world and commits it to paper, enabling us to see nature through the eyes of a skilled artist and a canny naturalist. Her understanding of ecology is deep, her draftsmanship is superb, and her text is full of good insights on field sketching.”—Carel Brest van Kempen, artist, nine-time recipient of the Society of Animal Artists’ Award of Excellence
“In Drawing Nature, artist and author Linda Miller Feltner pulls back the curtain to reveal the magical processes in her heart and mind. Each page is a revelation.”—Carolyn Z. Shelton, former assistant monument manager for science and visitor services, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, US Department of the Interior
“This is a fantastic book. Drawing Nature will inspire both the professional and amateur artist to hone existing skills or learn new techniques to bring an idea to life. It will be enjoyed by the naturalist who yearns to learn more about plants and animals and entertain anyone who appreciates the wonder and beauty of the natural world.”—William R. Radke, former wildlife refuge manager, US Fish and Wildlife Service
“This splendid book continues the long tradition of exploring the infinite variety of wildlife and wild places through art. Linda Miller Feltner has investigated all manner of life, from insects to large mammals and birds. By using both simple sketches and more complex detailed studies, she treats us to a feast of images supported by an informative and lively text.”—Michael Warren, author of Taking Flight
“Drawing Nature is a tour de force. I have never seen anything like the way it combines science and art, and I was charmed and educated throughout the book. Not only do you learn to draw and paint nature, but you learn a lot about it at the same time. The stories that accompany the artwork are wonderful to read, and the art speaks for itself.”—Dennis Paulson, director emeritus, Puget Sound Museum of Natural History
