Jackie Garner - The Wildlife Artist's Handbook

THE WILDLIFE ARTISTS
HANDBOOK

Jackie Garner

First published in 2013 by
The Crowood Press Ltd
Ramsbury, Marlborough
Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2014

Jackie Garner 2013

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 84797 608 6

Frontispiece: Dancing Cranes by Jackie Garner (watercolour).

Title page: King Penguin by Jackie Garner (watercolour).

Cover images: Heading Home by Jackie Garner (acrylic); Roach Studies by David Miller (graphite and oil on board); Whooper Swan Preening by Celia Smith (steel wire, copper wire and electrical cabling); Red Admiral and Mayweed by Darren Woodhead (watercolour); Dancing Cranes by Jackie Garner (watercolour); Red Rut II by Alison Ingram (oil on canvas).

Credits

Green, Gold & Dun estate of C.F. Tunnicliffe OBE RA, reproduced by kind permission of John Huddleston. Contemporary artwork photographed by the artist unless specified below. Chris Hindley and Philip Nelsons sculptures photography: Chris Hindley; Nadin Senfts Night Flight photography: William Jordan; Celia Smiths sculptures photography: Peter Stone; Ken Waterfields Nine Day Wonders photography: Barry Wilson. All illustrations by Jackie Garner, except where specified. Every effort has been made by the author and publisher to contact the copyright holders of the works illustrated in this book. Should any omissions have been made and the correct source not been noted, the publishers will rectify this at the earliest opportunity.

Jackie Garner: Owls of Ancient Egypt, watercolour. Painting inspired by similarities and differences in an owl hieroglyph, despite varying geography and chronology.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I seem to have spent most of my life wanting to write and illustrate books about art, wildlife, or ideally both subjects together. Bruce Pearson has always been an inspiration and I am indebted to him for writing the foreword, letting me include his images and most of all for suggesting me as author of this book.

A huge thank you goes to Simon Trapnell and the team at Nature in Art Museum, who have not only been encouraging and supportive from the books earliest days, but have generously allowed reproduction of works from their collection.

I would particularly like to thank West Midland Safari Park for generously sponsoring my access to their extensive collection for sketching and research trips.

This book would not have been possible without wholehearted support from other wildlife artists. I have been thrilled and honoured by their enthusiastic encouragement when the book was just a concept, and later in their generous responses to my requests for artwork. A special thank you, too, to Jonathan Pointer for going the extra mile.

John Hague (http://thedrunkbirder.wordpress.com/) kindly gave permission for his photograph of a woodcock wing-stretching to be included in Jonathan Pointers case study, for which he has my grateful thanks.

I am delighted to include works by George Lodge and Charles Tunnicliffe OBE, RA in the book, and so would like to thank Brian Bird, of the George Edward Lodge Trust, and John Huddleston for kindly making those images available to me. I had the good fortune to meet Meg Stevens on several occasions, enjoying her wit and artistic talent. Her art and words live on after her, and I thank Roger Stevens for his kind permission to quote her in this book.

Heartfelt thanks go to the following for their expert advice when my own knowledge was insufficient: Mike Amphlett (photography), John Brinkley (optical equipment), Richard Sale (Inuit sculpture), Nadin Senft (sculpture), The Mammal Society, Natural England.

Thank you to Katrina van Grouw for enthusiastic and generous encouragement from the outset.

Thank you to Linda Barnes, Rosemary Gowland and Cath Hodsman for ideas and input right at the beginning when this book only existed in my imagination.

Near the bottom of this list but at the top of my appreciation, I would like to thank the best and most supportive family anyone could wish for, who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Particular thanks to Paula Wilson, for not just going the extra mile, but for going several extra miles.

And a final thank you to KB for keeping his promise, through thick and thin, to be 100 per cent supportive.

I could not have done it without you all.

Bruce Pearson: Bait Digger and Brents, relief print.

FOREWORD

Books about, and by, wildlife artists are plentiful enough, with every volume uniquely inspiring whether it is a celebratory biographical examination of an artists creative output with dazzling reproductions of their finished works, or an autobiographical account of a journey or artistic theme with telling insights into the artists creative processes. Although each volume provides a visual feast, collectively they tend not to explain in detail the mechanics of making the art or linger on the methods and materials involved, nor do they fully expand on basic themes like composition or tackle broader issues such as the context of their subject within the rich heritage of wildlife portrayal in art history.

However, from my experience as president of the Society of Wildlife Artists for ten years, and a working lifetimes involvement in other art forums, those kinds of questions are exactly what most of those interested in art and the natural world aspiring artists especially are seeking guidance about and answers to. Over the years I have had everything, from the rather naive Is it better to use a range of pencils when sketching? to the very direct I dream of one day earning a living from wildlife art. What direction would you advise a student artist to take? From the challenging Why do you think that wildlife art is held in such low esteem by the contemporary art world outside of specialist galleries? to the slightly confused I am just starting to paint with watercolour and am a keen photographer. Will photographs help my art? However vague or focused, invariably at the end of every question was Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank you. If only on all of those occasions I could have simply answered Take a look at Jackie Garners Wildlife Artists Handbook.

This book is a much needed and very thorough practical guide to wildlife art that goes way beyond the conventions of a step-by-step guide. It incorporates a history of the genre, chapters about composition, field-craft, photography and copyright as well as taking the reader through a range of practical drawing and painting techniques and expanding enthusiastically into chapters about printmaking and sculpture. Quite simply, it is a glorious companion for anyone with an interest in wildlife and art- amateur or professional artist, gallery visitor, art collector or note-taking field naturalist, among many others. But, perhaps more significantly, it will act as an inspirational starting point for aspiring artists wanting to have a go after experiencing something wonderful in nature. And it will encourage someone wanting to add a creative touch to their diary, or perhaps help a dormant creative re-discover a passion for painting and drawing wildlife. For those people, and for all of us with a keen interest in art and an enthusiasm for the natural world, this new handbook will be indispensable.