Drawing Nature - by Linda Miller Feltner (Hardcover)

About the Book

"This book will introduce and depict the artistic process, illuminated by award-winning wildlife artist, Linda Feltner. According to Feltner, it all begins with curiosity and obsessively close observation of the subject, which moves to the creation of loose sketches and drawings, and culminates in a finished artwork, or the "final" stage. While it is not a how-to manual, the book does pull together drawing basics and more intermediate and advanced design skills to demonstrate how to use these in the creative process. There are seven chapters that build on each other to incorporate new techniques and concepts. It is designed so that the reader feels as if they're opening Linda's field notebooks, following her own creative process. The book will encourage new and established artists to take risks, develop their own powers of observation, and free their artistic endeavors from the expectation of a final, finished product. Each page is filled with stunning sketches or fantastic final artworks"--

Book Synopsis

A visually stunning exploration of the artistic process by an award-winning nature artist

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.

Review Quotes

"Feltner's talent is undeniable, yet the book remains approachable and encouraging to those who have a creative spark and interest in nature."---Aisha White, Birding

"Easy to pick up and thumb through time and time again for a quick inspiration boost."---J. C. Burns, Choice

"More than highlighting beautiful artwork, this book offers detailed insight into the creative process, especially the balance of flexibility and technicality that this type of work requires."---Kevin Kohl, Integrative and Comparative Biology

"Drawing Nature not only teaches how to better appreciate the art that naturalists create, but also to look more deeply at nature itself."---Laurence A. Marschall, Natural History

"A visually beautiful, useful book by an encouraging, supremely talented natural history artist."-- "Library Journal"

"A must-have for anyone that appreciates nature art!"---Ian Paulsen, Bird Booker Report

"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

About the Author

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.