The Industrious Beaver

The Industrious Beaver

Celebrating International Beaver Day on April 7th! An estimated 60 to 400 million beavers once lived in North America, but the European demand for beaver pelts for clothing, most notably hats, almost drove the mammal to extinction by the mid-19th century. Where I live...
World Pangolin Day

World Pangolin Day

World Pangolin Day is observed on the 3rd Saturday of February each year and so it’s a good time to reflect on this incredibly unique and endangered mammal. In this blog post, you’ll learn fascinating facts about pangolins and also learn how to sketch...
Mistletoe Workshop

Mistletoe Workshop

DISCOVER AND SKETCH MISTLETOE WORKSHOP DATE: Sunday, December 31st (10-11 AM PST) –join live or watch the replay. REGISTER/VIEW REPLAY HERE Recommended Supplies •Graphite pencil & black pen •Opaque white media •Watercolors and associated painting supplies...
Mistletoe Musings

Mistletoe Musings

MISTLETOE The maligned and misunderstood step-sister of holly, poinsettia, and Christmas trees! As a child, I fondly remember collecting wild mistletoe from the pine and oak woodlands of my home in California’s Sierra Nevada foothills. I would wrap the mistletoe...
Let’s Sketch Water Bears!

Let’s Sketch Water Bears!

Learn About Tardigrades and How to Sketch Them Tardigrades, who are also known colloquially as water bears or moss piglets, are likely the coolest animal you may never have heard about. Below you’ll find a recording of a live workshop I taught in which I share...
Wildlife Conservation Day

Wildlife Conservation Day

Celebrating Wildlife World Wildlife Conservation Day is celebrated annually on December 4th.  The occasion seeks to draw attention to the conservation status of some of the most critically endangered species of wild fauna and flora and to drive discussions toward...
Celebrate Jaguars!

Celebrate Jaguars!

DISCOVER JAGUARS and the CAT FAMILY   In the video workshop below, I’ll teach you how to create realistic sketches of Jaguars in easy step-by-step demonstrations. Once you learn how to draw Jaguars, it will be easy for you to draw their close relatives; the Old...
Spooky Nature Facts

Spooky Nature Facts

Read on…if you dare…to learn fascinating facts about the world’s spookiest creatures! WORLD’S LARGEST RAT Can you imagine a rat that weighs more than 3 pounds and reaches 3 feet long?! It’s the GAMBIAN POUCHED RAT and yes, it’s the world’s...
Migratory Bird Day

Migratory Bird Day

World Migratory Bird Day World Migratory Bird Day is an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats. It is celebrated twice each year, at the height of the migratory seasons, on the second Saturday...
In Celebration of Rhinos!

In Celebration of Rhinos!

It’s World Rhinoceros Day! World Rhinoceros Day is celebrated on September 22 each year. Below you’ll learn some interesting facts about rhinos and also learn how to sketch them in my video workshops below! The Rhinoceros family includes five species...
In Celebration of Vultures

In Celebration of Vultures

International Vulture Awareness Day The first Saturday in September is set aside annually to observe International Vulture Awareness Day. So I’d like to share some fascinating facts about these much-maligned but vitally important birds and showcase some of my...
Sketching African Elephants!

Sketching African Elephants!

  DOWNLOAD RESOURCES HERE Click HERE to download your African Elephant Sketching Cheatsheet that we’ll use in the video tutorial. DISCOUNT ON MAMMALS COURSE Click HERE to get your 30% discount on my comprehensive course, Introduction to Sketching Mammals of the...
World Oceans Day

World Oceans Day

Resources to learn more about the ocean June 8th has been designated as “World Oceans Day” by the United Nations. In celebration of World Oceans Day, I’ve written some natural history stories about sea creatures that you can find below. I love snorkeling and...

Flanders Poppies

I’ll be going live on my ​Facebook ​page (3 PM PDT) to sketch the Flanders Poppy and its intricate seed pods. I’d love to have you ​join me​ (either live or anytime afterward) and bring your favorite art supplies so that you can follow along. If you want...
Whooping Cranes

Whooping Cranes

Whooping Cranes are celebrated on Whooping Crane day each year on May 28th. Below you can learn some cool facts about these endangered North American birds. Facts About Whooping Crane The Whooping Crane; Grus americana, of North America is among the rarest birds in...
Discover and Sketch Parrots and Macaws

Discover and Sketch Parrots and Macaws

Below you’ll find two webinars and downloadable resources I’ve created to help you learn about the amazing family of birds known as parrots, in honor of World Parrot Day on May 31st! Endemic Parrots of the Caribbean Workshop Learn all about parrots in this...
Otter Day

Otter Day

World Otter Day is celebrated on the last Wednesday of May.  In celebration, here’s a fun video below of the North American river otter; Lontra canadensis, that I filmed at the High Desert Museum located in my town of Bend, Oregon. North American River Otters...
World Turtle Day

World Turtle Day

Let’s Learn About Land Turtles! It’s World Turtle Day on May 23rd so let’s ‘shellabrate! The day was created to learn more about land turtles and tortoises and how to protect them and their habitats worldwide. You can learn all about the characteristics and...
Identifying Warblers

Identifying Warblers

By Christine Elder  (Includes tips, videos, resources, and downloadable guides for warbler identification) Identifying Those Troublesome Warblers! One of the more challenging bird families to identify is the Parulidae; or New World Wood Warblers. Many, like the common...
Endangered Species Spotlight

Endangered Species Spotlight

Shining a Spotlight on Endangered Species In observance of both Endangered Species Day and International Day for Biological Diversity, I’m sharing some stories and sketching tutorials I’ve created about a diverse array of our planet’s threatened and...