How to Draw Birds

This comprehensive drawing handbook covers all aspects of drawing birds including essential concepts such as light, tone and composition. With its clear step-by-step labelled drawings, this is an essential book for any budding artist who would like to master the art of drawing birds: from barn owls to kingfishers, from robins to swans, from ducklings to bald eagles. The ever-growing How To Draw series takes a highly visual and practical approach to drawing, featuring step-by-step instructions for each art project. Duotone lines highlight each step. Each title includes information on the drawing materials you can use and where to use them most effectively. The How To Draw series is an excellent way to introduce the concepts of drawing to child and adult alike.

The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds

John Muir Laws’s guide to drawing birds is itself winged, soaring between a devotion not only to art but also to the lives, forms, and postures of the birds themselves. Here, artistic technique and the exquisite details of natural history intertwine, and drawing becomes the vehicle for seeing. As Laws writes, “To draw feathers, you must understand how feathers grow, overlap, and insert into the body. To create the body, you must have an understanding of the bird’s skeletal structure.

Drawing and Painting Birds 

Birds are much admired, revered and envied. They have featured in art for many thousands of years and our fascination with them continues. They do though pose a challenge to paint and are not always the most cooperative of models. By understanding their anatomy and recognising their type, the artist can learn a shorthand way to capture movement and attitude. With technique and colour mastered, style develops and a special scene can be captured uniquely forever. Here, lifelong birdwatcher and artist Tim Wootton explains the bird types and how identifying specific similarities can help the artist. He gives advice on painting in the field; describes how to paint plumage and birds in flight and demonstrates how to compose a painting with emphasis on the birds habitat. This beautifully illustrated new book also gives insights into painting birds from 30 leading artists, as well as illustrations of their work, including John Busby, Robert Bateman and Charles Tunnicliffe.

In this stunningly beautiful book, bird artist William T. Cooper explores and demonstrates all aspects of drawing and painting birds. Renowned for his gorgeous and accurate wildlife renderings, Cooper here explains in detail how to create a true impression of a bird's appearance. The author describes his own experiences among birds in the wild, discusses bird anatomy, and lays out the essential principles of realistic painting. He guides both seasoned artists and enthusiastic beginners through all the techniques and processes involved in depicting birds anywhere in the world. In the first part of the book, Cooper covers materials, bird anatomy, methods of working from captive birds (in zoos, for example), and methods for working in the field. He places special emphasis on the artist's understanding of the subject and how this knowledge can be transformed into drawings and paintings. The second part of the book deals with watercolours, acrylics, and oil paints, explaining for each medium the step-by-step processes leading from beginning sketches to finished work.

Modern Wildlife Painting: Wildlife Art in the Twentieth Century

The 20th century has seen a widespread interest in wildlife and its identification and conservation. Paintings and prints have both stimulated and reflected this interest. Primarily a pursuit of the wealthy of the 19th century, wildlife art of the period most commonly depicted animals as quarry, as worthy adversaries of the hunter. Today, artists are more likely to focus on the vulnerability of animals to man, and to further the cause of their conservation and the preservation of their habitats. This volume, in 12 chapters, examines the various forms that wildlife art takes. Each chapter is illustrated by paintings or prints that, in the author's view, best represent the genre. The work of 90 artists is shown.

Drawing Birds (RSPB)

This is a fully revised and updated new version of a popular RSPB handbook to the art and joy of drawing birds. John Busby beautifully conveys his own remarkable ability to capture the grace and motion of living birds, illustrating his ideas and suggestions with many examples of his own work. He also uses illustrations from over 45 other talented bird artists to demonstrate a variety of principles and techniques. The text covers a wealth of topics, including choice of media, sketching from life, composition and different ways of interpreting the subject matter. This is a beautiful and inspiring book which will appeal to aspiring artists and anyone who has ever been entranced by the beauty of birds.

Painting Garden Birds

Trade in your bird watching binoculars for a brush! Sherry C. Nelson, MDA, invites you to paint your favourite American garden birds. In this book, 11 different oil painting projects show you how to create Bluebirds, Cardinals, Goldfinches, Hummingbirds and other stunning birds in their natural surroundings. Sherry even teaches you, stroke by stroke, how to paint delicate feather textures, markings and eyes! Each project is explained in 20 or more steps and features a materials list, paint mixtures, field sketches and reference photographs. It's never been easier to paint the feathered friends you've been admiring in your backyard.

This book is an expert guide to producing beautiful lifelike drawings of birds in their natural habitat. Artists of all interests will find a lot to inspire them in this detailed, practical and beautiful guide on drawing birds. The book includes sections on materials, basic techniques and reference gathering, as well as how to draw the key features of birds such as beaks, eyes, claws, wings and feathers. A special section focuses on birds in flight, and this is followed by chapters on the main bird groups including: Waders and water birds, Wildfowl, Birds of prey, Owls, Garden and woodland birds, Seabirds and Game birds.

Each chapter covers the techniques specific to the group as well as numerous examples and a full step-by-step demonstration. The absence of colour means that Andrew uses other aspects such as pattern, shading and shape to give his paintings life and interest. Written for artists who wish to apply their skills to drawing birds, as well as experienced artists who want to improve their drawing skills, this is an expert guide to producing exquisitely rendered, lifelike drawings of birds in their natural habitats and nothing could be more inspirational than Andrew’s accurately observed and truly beautiful drawings.

A colourful macaw, a fierce eagle, a handsome heron- if you wish you knew how to draw birds better than you do now, than this is the resource for you. Each of the 22 coloured pencil artists included in this book generously give you instruction and guidance on how they draw their masterful coloured pencil images of stunning birds. Learn from each how they begin a piece, how they create the defining elements of each subject, and how they use coloured pencils to create realistic drawings. Twelve full step by step coloured pencil tutorials included, with 14 large, clear steps in each. An additional 10 artists guide you through key elements of drawing birds in 4 steps each. Packed with coloured pencil instruction and inspiration, this 5th volume in our DRAW series is a real treat!

Artists of all skill levels and bird enthusiasts alike will find creative inspiration and valuable drawing instruction in Drawing: Birds. This comprehensive book opens with an introduction to essential drawing tools, including graphite pencils, erasers, paper, and other materials. Then learn a variety of basic drawing techniques, such as shading, stippling, hatching, crosshatching, and others. Discover helpful tips for creating a good composition, understanding and seeing value, transferring photo references, and taking artistic liberties. After learning the drawing basics, jump into the easy step-by-step projects to draw specific birds, including a barred owl, a great blue heron, a ruby-throated hummingbird, a gray parrot, a pileated woodpecker, and black-capped chickadees.

British illustrator Raymond Sheppard was celebrated for his nature and animal studies, and this volume combines two of his most valuable guides, How to Draw Birds (1940) and More Birds to Draw (1956). Suitable for beginners as well as advanced artists, this single-volume edition provides in-depth studies of the shapes and visual construction of a variety of birds, from domestic fowl to birds on the wing.

Written by a well-known artist and best-selling art-instruction author with almost rock-star popularity in the contemporary world of representational art, Beginning Drawing Atelier, with its unique workbook/sketchbook approach, and high-quality paper, offers a comprehensive and contemporary twist on traditional Atelier art instruction practices. Atelier education is cantered on the belief that working in a studio, not sitting in the lecture hall, is the best place to learn about art. Every artist needs to learn basic drawing skills.

In this elegant and inspiring workbook, master contemporary artist and best selling author Juliette Aristides breaks down the drawing process into small, manageable lessons; presents them progressively; introduces time-tested principles and techniques in the Atelier tradition that are easily accessible; and shares the language and context necessary to understand the artistic process and create superior, well-crafted drawings. What makes this approach unique is the fact that it includes blank pages for copying and practicing within each lesson, facilitating traditional Atelier methods.

The ultimate guide to nature drawing and journaling! A potent combination of art, science, and boundless enthusiasm, the latest art instruction book from John Muir Laws (The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds) is a how-to guide for becoming a better artist and a more attentive naturalist. In straightforward text complemented by step-by-step illustrations, dozens of exercises lead the hand and mind through creating accurate reproductions of plants and animals as well as landscapes, skies, and more. Laws provides clear, practical advice for every step of the process for artists at every level, from the basics of choosing supplies to advanced techniques. While the book’s advice will improve the skills of already accomplished artists, the emphasis on seeing, learning, and feeling will make this book valuable—even revelatory—to anyone interested in the natural world, no matter how rudimentary their artistic abilities.

Even beginners will be able to produce beautiful watercolour paintings of birds with the help of the guided projects in this book.

Fifteen original artworks by acclaimed artist Emma Faull have been reproduced as outlines on high-quality watercolour paper, so that you can achieve beautiful results and enjoy the relaxing practice of watercolour painting.

At the front of the book, you'll find inspiration in Emma's original artworks, as well as the recommended colour palettes to use. You'll also find advice from the artist on how to get started and guidance on professional watercolour techniques.

Have you ever been walking in the woods, or looking out your window, when you suddenly spotted a beautiful bird? Whether you're an artist, scientist, bird enthusiast, or student, you'll love learning how to portray all kinds of birds artistically, from sketching them in their natural environments to learning how to render a head to foot, full-detail illustration.

The few books published on this topic are limited in scope and only focus on a single specific media, such as watercolour or oil painting. But Sketching & Illustrating Birds offers instruction on how to depict birds using a range of different media, including pencils and pens, watercolours and gouache, oils and acrylics, and more. Each of these illustrations can be tailored to meet specific needs - whether it's for biological studies, educational purposes, or artistic pursuits.

Discover all the techniques you need to know to represent the most common birds by studying their habits and habitats. Plus, learn about aspects of flight, as well as how to capture birds in motion, whether they're flying or running. You'll find a wealth of practical examples of all kinds of birds in different environments, all rendered by accomplished artists specially chosen for their diverse and unique illustration styles.

Painting Your Favourite Birds Step by Step

Bird lovers rejoice! Here's a complete guide to help you paint lifelike birds using easy-to-master techniques.

With Nancy Dale Kinney's clear step-by-step instruction, you'll achieve fast results without sacrificing details or quality.

Inside Painting Your Favourite Birds Step by Step are 26 best-loved birds found around the world. From the American Robin to the English Robin, from the European Greenfinch to the American Goldfinch, you're sure to find your favourites!

Kinney also includes simple instruction for creating delightful background effects and design elements such as flowers and branches to make your painting more stunning and realistic. Each element can be mixed and matched with your favourite birds to create exactly the effect you want.

A-Z of Bird Portraits: An illustrated guide to painting beautiful birds in acrylics

Andrew Forkner's book provides you with all you need to paint a range of birds in acrylics; taking in birds of prey, songbirds and waterbirds from all over the world. It contains information on the materials and preparation you will need to capture the delicacy and majesty of the subjects.

• Twenty-six striking and characterful bird species
• Clear and easy-to-follow step by step projects
• Includes guidance on composition, reference and important bird features

Drawing in Colour: Birds

Lee provides start-to-finish instructions that ensure great results every time. Her unique methods help readers break down even the most complex images into an assembly of easily rendered shapes. That's what makes the difference! Readers will also learn about the five elements of shading - invaluable techniques for creating depth and realism - along with step-by--step advice for rendering fine details such as anatomy, colour, markings, beaks, feet and feathers. From American Kestrels to Red-tailed Hawks and everything in between, they'll find all the instruction they need to draw gorgeous birds.

This title is the third in the successful theme-based Stitched Textiles series. It contains a comprehensive techniques section, six beautiful step-by-step projects and galleries of inspirational pieces that are vibrant, contemporary, and beautifully executed. Very much aimed at the contemporary textile artist, this beautiful book is designed to inspire and encourage and contains all the information a beginner needs.

Birds are an enduring theme in art and textile work and this book will appeal to any textile artist interested in exploring their design possibilities. It features a range of birds including much-loved garden blackbirds, characterful chickens, cute and curious puffins and cheeky seagulls. Fresh and innovative in its approach, it covers the design process itself, from inspiration to final design, and provides information on the materials used and step-by-step demonstrations of a whole range of techniques including dyeing, using dissolvable fabric, using found objects, piecing and stitching.

The Book of the Bird: Birds in Art 

The Book of the Bird celebrates the bird in art with an elegant, international collection of paintings, illustrations and photographs, featuring all kinds of birds from the smallest tits and wrens to colourful exotics. Interspersed though the illustrations are short texts giving background to the pictures and information on bird species. This is the perfect gift for all bird lovers.

The Bird in Art 

There has until now been no proper study of the bird in art, despite our fascination with birds, and despite the wealth of complex meanings associated with them in different cultures. A number of pagan gods are linked with birds, and dynasties and empires have adopted powerful birds as their symbols. Birds feature in numerous creation myths, and represent the human soul in many religions. We can trace bird imagery from the cave paintings of the Paleolithic era to the present day, and across all world cultures: there are painted, drawn, mosaic, sculpted, embroidered and ceramic birds, and birds as marginal illuminations or the subject of meticulous ornithological studies. This exquisite new book investigates the significance of the bird in 250 beautifully reproduced works of art, both ancient and modern. Nine chapters - on such themes as the mythical bird, the Eastern bird and the domestic bird - explore in detail a rich and rewarding collection of paintings, prints, drawings and sculptures, creating a book that will enchant art lovers and anyone interested in ornithology.

Wood Engravings of Birds

• Publisher : Littlehampton Book Services Ltd (1 Jun. 1979)
• Language : English
• Hardcover : 144 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0854931287
• ISBN-13 : 978-0854931286

Born in Rotterdam, the wildlife artist Renso Tamse began drawing at the age of five. This book charts his journeys through Europe - from Ireland to Cyprus, from Spain to Scandinavia - in pursuit of its flora and fauna. In his paintings and drawings he captures the wildlife of the continent in all its majesty and mystery: a roe deer in the Black Forest, a golden eagle in the Pyrenees, a wary fox on Dartmoor, and many other magnificent creatures.

George Miksch Sutton is one of the best known and most beloved bird artists of the twentieth century. This marvellous book presents thirty-five paintings of downy chicks, nestlings, and fledglings painted from life by Sutton. The exquisite watercolours, housed in the Field Museum of Natural History, span three decades and depict nineteen species of North American birds. Many of the paintings are reproduced here for the first time. Sutton was fond of painting young birds from life and of recording their developmental changes. Marked by delicate brushwork and subtle colour variations, his paintings document characteristic features of the birds’ species as well as capturing the poses and attributes that make each bird seem so unique. Some paintings show not only juvenal plumage but also head portraits of adult plumage. The nineteen species include familiar garden birds such as cardinals, Great Plains inhabitants such as the grassland sparrows, and upland and wetland birds, including bobwhites, moorhens, and sandpipers.

A Dictionary of Bird Artists of the World

William MacGillivray: Creatures of Air, Land and Sea

William MacGillivray''s illustrations of birds, fish and mammals never received the acclaim they deserved. Now these works of art, part of the Natural History Museum's vast collection, are reproduced in this unique monograph of the artist'

Lying at the very edge of Europe, the magical but little-known Atlantic oak woods of the west coast of Scotland are lush, temperate rainforests that form an internationally important habitat for plants and wildlife. The result of a collaboration between the Society of Wildlife Arts and Forest Enterprise Scotland, this volume presents a portrait of the rare and beautiful woodlands of Kinloch on Skye, Morven and Sunart and Knapdale in Argyll.

This is the second part of a five-volume series. This book presents a representative selection of colour pictures of birds painted during the 18th century. It portrays the artists' increasing sensitivity to nature. A detailed text accompanies the pictures and reveals the growth in the popularity of watercolour as a medium for painting birds. In the 18th century, several artists continued to produce bird paintings in the same style and composition of the Old Masters. When a new sensitivity to nature became universal, naturalists recorded, named and illustrated species with increasing skills. Old myths were replaced by observation and evidence. Exotic birds were being discovered in the newly-explored countries of North America, India and, at the end of the century, Australia. This age of discovery was also a period when the potential of watercolour painting was developed and proved to be the perfect medium for depicting birds. In bird art, as in so many other aspects of 18th century life, this was an age of sense and sensitivity.

The Art of Bird Illustration

Takes us on a journey through the history of bird illustration, from ancient Egypt. Featuring over 100 plates reproduced in their original colour, this work is illustrated with the work of the most talented artists and ornithologists of their time.

Bird Illustrators: Some Artists in Early Lithography

Some magnificently illustrated bird books were published in the Victorian era, in responce to the demand for accurate coloured pictures of our own native birds and the new, often exotic, species which at the time were being dicovered in all parts of the world.
How these books came to be written, and the story of the authors, artists and craftsmen who produced them, is the subject of this book.An assessment of the merits of their output and achievements is made.The author, in this volume, has restricted herself to those works where the coloured plates were produced by lithography.William Swainson, Edward Lear and John Gould were among the first to adopt lithography for illustrating their fine bird books.Many interesting and talented artists followed them including Archibold Thorburn and George Lodge.
The author's researches reveal much fascinating detail about the lives of these artists, as well as providing the reader with a wealth of facts about the books which they illustrated.

Discusses the lives and achievements of sixteen amateur naturalists who produced etchings for illustrated books about birds.

This volume traces the 300-year history of bird art in Australia, from the crudely illustrated records of the earliest European voyages of discovery to the diversity of artwork available at the start of the 21st century. It is a history inseparable from the development of Australian ornithology. Against a background of establishment of the country itself, naval draftsmen, convicts, officers, settlers, naturalists, artists and scientists alike contributed both to the art and to science.

This book about Koson is the first Western publication of his oeuvre of prints and paintings. It provides all known information on the artist's life and work, his teachers and publishers, facsimiles of his signatures and seals and illustrations of an estimated seventy-five percent of his total print output. First published in 2001, this new edition features an additional chapter on Koson's oeuvre and designs which have been discovered since the original publication of Crows, Cranes and Camellias. This title is the definitive reference book for Koson collectors.

Spirit of the Wedge-tailed Eagle is the culmination of four decades of intimate study of this iconic bird by Australia's leading bird painter, Humphrey Price-Jones. It includes more than 30 magnificent full-colour paintings as well as many of his working drawings. The intricately detailed renditions of each feather and the exquisite depiction of the beaks and feet give an incredible sense of the bird. This lavish compilation of illustrations of the Wedge-tailed Eagle from chick to adult is superbly complemented by an engaging and informative text compiled by Dr Penny Olsen, a leading raptor specialist.

Discusses the lives and achievements of sixteen amateur naturalists who produced etchings for illustrated books about birds.

The human history of depicting birds dates to as many as 40,000 years ago, when Paleolithic artists took to cave walls to capture winged and other beasts. But the art form has reached its peak in the last four hundred years. In The Art of the Bird, devout birder and ornithologist Roger J. Lederer celebrates this heyday of avian illustration in forty artists' profiles, beginning with the work of Flemish painter Frans Snyders in the early 1600s and continuing through to contemporary artists like Elizabeth Butterworth, famed for her portraits of macaws. Stretching its wings across time, taxa, geography, and artistic style--from the celebrated realism of American conservation icon John James Audubon, to Elizabeth Gould's nineteenth-century renderings of museum specimens from the Himalayas, to Swedish artist and ornithologist Lars Jonsson's ethereal watercolour's.

Publisher : Littlehampton Book Services Ltd; First Edition (4 Sept. 1980)

• Language : English
• Hardcover : 96 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0297778293
• ISBN-13 : 978-0297778295

Publisher : Columbus Books Ltd; First Edition (1 Oct. 1986)

• Language : English
• Hardcover : 160 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0862872855
• ISBN-13 : 978-0862872854

R B Talbot-Kelly. Studio publications 1955.
' R.B Talbot Kelly, at present Art Master at Rugby School, is probably one of today's greatest and most sympathetic painters of birds and has, through long and close study, acquired what he would term " some fraction of understanding of a bird's way of life." His experience transcends a mere knowledge of anatomy and habitat, or the superficial appeal of colourful plumage, and has given him a feeling for a bird's reactions to its own world; a feeling which can be sensed in the subtle qualities of his work." The Craftsmanship needed to paint birds," he says, " is no different from that required for landscape or figure composition, but the thinking which precedes the making of a work of art is special to each attempt. "To promote such thinking is the object of this book. It has been designed to equip the student of bird life with the means for extracting the fullest experience and delight from a subject of tremendous vitality. The many fine reproductions of the author's paintings, of which 16 are in colour, are masterpieces of delicacy and sensitive perception in a variety of treatments. This book will appeal as much to the birdwatcher and nature student as to the painter of birds.

Publisher : Viking Pr (1 Sept. 1986)

• Language : English
• ISBN-10 : 0879512210
• ISBN-13 : 978-0879512217
• Dimensions : 2.54 x 2.54 x 2.54 cm

David Koster: Artist,Printmaker and Naturalist: Artist,Printmaker and NaturalistHardcover: 118 pages
Publisher: Wildside Books (Aug 2005)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0954975405
ISBN-13: 978-0954975401

Publisher : MIT Press; First Edition (23 July 1981)

• Language : English
• Hardcover : 256 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0860920577
• ISBN-13 : 978-0860920571

This is the first volume in a series of selections of natural history prints from around the world and celebrates the achievements of bird artists over two centuries. The 60 plates are arranged chronologically and range from Eleazar Albin's "Hoopoe", from the early 19th century, through aquatints from Audubon's "Birds of America" and Edward Lear's colourful "Parrots" some hundred years later, to the work of 20th-century artists such as Archibald Thorburn and George Lodge. The author has written many books and articles, both scientific and popular, on natural history topics.

• Publisher : Studio Edns.; Reprint edition (1 July 1991)
• Language : English
• Hardcover : 128 pages
• ISBN-10 : 1851706291
• ISBN-13 : 978-1851706297

Publisher : Michael Joseph; New edition (28 Mar. 1988)

• Language : English
• Paperback : 208 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0718126882
• ISBN-13 : 978-0718126889

Terence Lambert; Publisher : HarperCollins Distribution Services; 1st Book Club Associates edition (8 Oct. 1979)

• Language : English
• Hardcover : 128 pages
• ISBN-10 : 000219001X
• ISBN-13 : 978-0002190015

Terence Lambert; Publisher : New York : Scribner (1 Jan. 1976)

• Language : English
• Hardcover : 128 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0684147955
• ISBN-13 : 978-0684147956

An illustrated guide to the birds of Britain. The book covers nearly 250 breeding birds and regular visitors, as well as over 130 occasional visitors, described and painted as an aid to identification. It contains general information about songs, habitats, nests, feeding and migration. Terence Lambert;

ASIN : B009AG7NJQ

• Publisher : Cumbrian Fine Art Galleries (1 Jan. 1975)
• Terence Lambert;

Original sketches complement explanations of the courtship, breeding, nest-building, and territorial behaviour of twenty-five common bird species. Illustrated by James Fenwick Lansdowne

James Fenwick Lansdown

Publisher : Boston : Houghton Mifflin (1 Jan. 1976)

• Language : English
• Hardcover : 175 pages
• ISBN-10 : 039524580X
• ISBN-13 : 978-0395245804

James Fenwick Lansdown

Publisher : Arrowood Pr (1 Sept. 1989)

• Language : English
• ISBN-10 : 0884860272
• ISBN-13 : 978-0884860273
• Dimensions : 26.04 x 5.72 x 33.66 cm

ASIN : B01NH0A212

• Publisher : Houghton Mifflin (T) James Fenwick Lansdown

• Publisher : Helm; First Edition (1 Feb. 1986)
• Language : English
• Hardcover : 168 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0709933665
• ISBN-13 : 978-0709933663

• Publisher : Weidenfeld & Nicolson; 1st edition (30 Oct. 1980)
• Language : English
• Hardcover : 152 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0297778307
• ISBN-13 : 978-0297778301

• Publisher : Langford Press; First Edition (14 Aug. 2007)
• Language : English
• Hardcover : 168 pages
• ISBN-10 : 1904078249
• ISBN-13 : 978-1904078241
• Dimensions : 28.1 x 2.1 x 31.4 cm

This book is a celebration of the phenomenon of migration, through the words and pictures of those seeped in its appreciation-of artists, regular migration-observers, scarce-migrant hunters, ringers, scientists who use satellite tags to follow migrants and of those who attempt to protect migrants during their often lengthy journeys.

• Publisher : Langford Press (15 Aug. 2012)
• Language : English
• Hardcover : 168 pages
• ISBN-10 : 1904078419
• ISBN-13 : 978-1904078418
• Dimensions : 20.6 x 2.2 x 31 cm

Designated a National Park in 2005, the New Forest contains some of the last remaining tracts of lowland heath in western Europe, as well as ancient forest and coastal land, and a host of rare flora and fauna is associated with each environment. This celebration of the area is the collected work of six local artists exploring the varied landscapes, the nature and wildlife and some of the human activity that is also part of the life of the forest.

In 'Up River', acclaimed nature artist Darren Woodhead captures in painting and words the natural beauty of the countryside around Carlops and the valley of the North Esk river. Over two years as Artist in Residence supported by the Orcome Trust, and working in close conjunction with the local community, he produced over 350 drawings and paintings. Together with diary entries which describe mood, weather and the subjects portrayed, he creates a magnificent record of the area - the hills, the flora and fauna - contrasting the barrenness and bleakness of winter with the explosive colours of spring and summer. He also touches on the technicalities of working in extreme conditions, which adds another dimension to the understanding of an environment so expertly captured in his paintings.

Brand new, direct from publisher, the second book on SWLA wildlife artist Darren Rees, providing an illustrated diary of his travels in Antarctica. Penguins, seals, whales, albatross and plenty of ice...