home

techniques

My first experiences with wildlife art began while observing large hawks perched on telephone poles along country roadsides. As my interest grew in ornithology, I became acquainted with a bird rehabilitator, who let me sit in his yard and sketch the Red-tailed hawks and Great Horned Owls in his care. Many studies were produced using a variety of media including pastel, pencil, ink, and watercolor.

Click for large images of these examples:

example 7 -- owl example 6 -- owl example 5 -- falcon example 4 -- owl example 3 -- hawk example 2 -- hawk example 1 -- hawk

The following collection of sketches and drawings were preliminary drawings for the creation of the logo for the Houston Audubon Society. The final logo, shown in the lower right, is a black and white line drawing including a Yellow-throated Warbler, lichen, and mayfly. This page of sketches appears in the book Scientific Illustration, Second Edition, by Phyllis Wood ©1994 Van Nostrand Reinhold.

Houston Audubon Society logo by Linda Feltner

example 1 -- hawk example 2 -- hawk example 3 -- hawk example 4 -- owl example 5 -- falcon example 6 -- owl example 7 -- owl Return to Top

 

teaching

For me, teaching is a way of sharing. Sharing what I know about the mechanics of two dimensional drawing and painting, as well as sharing my fascination with Nature.

There is excitement in learning something about the subject. Whether it’s birds, mammals or insects - animals lead interesting lives. As an artist, portraying their lives is a considerable challenge. This includes the habitats where they make their living, what they eat and the myriad ways they adapt to survive. Not only animals, but plants, forests, geologic formations and landscapes, in all their light and texture, are also part of the rich world available for drawing and painting.

I have had the privilege of teaching with the Scientific Illustration Certification Program of the University of Washington , as well as the North Cascades Institute.

I teach drawing, pen and ink, and watercolor classes with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute in Tucson, Arizona.

I also offer Workshops in drawing and painting, held in many parts of the country. The Sky Island Workshop was created for the Northwest Chapter of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, in Southeast Arizona in the spring of 2005.

I believe that students of all levels benefit from informal, small group instruction, especially in beautiful settings. Watercolor, ink and scratchboard are among the techniques I teach, as well as the essentials of drawing in the field – sun hat, water, food, bug repellant, and which ones are the poisonous snakes….

Linda Feltner workshop Bud Anderson, of the Falcon Research Group, brings birds into the classroom of Wildlife Drawing, Scientific Illustration Certificate Program, University of Washington .
Linda Feltner workshop

Sky Island Painting Workshop. Southeast Arizona, 2005. Watercolor painting in both Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts, in and among the mountain to riparian zones.

Photo by Robert A. Behrstock, Naturewide Images
Linda Feltner workshop

The Sky Island Workshop 2005, got all wrapped up in their fun as we visited the Gray Hawk Nature Center on the San Pedro River. The group was introduced to many of the native reptiles of the area, and learned how interesting they really are. “Choker” and “Squeezer” are the Center’s educational ambassadors to the reptile world.

Return to Top

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

____________________________
© Linda M. Feltner Artist, LLC, lindafeltner.com
All images are copyrighted, and may not be copied electronically or reprinted without permission.