WILDLIFE & LANDSCAPE DRAWINGS FOR SLIMBRIDGE WWT
(Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust)
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"Working with Katherine has been an absolute pleasure. She has skilfully captured our historic Slimbridge Wetlands & Nature Reserve site in her detailed drawings and it goes above and beyond my expectations from the brief we gave. Every stage of the work was agreed & delivered on time and the products produced are already being snapped up by our customers. I cannot recommend her work more."
Brian Iles – Head of Commercial, WWT |
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The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) commissioned me to draw their most popular site; Slimbridge, and asked me to capture ‘the essence’ of their nature reserve. The site features wetlands and a variety of different species of birds and wildlife.
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The process of creating this landscape and wildlife illustration
Before starting the drawings, I worked closely with the retail team to agree the scope of work. This included a guided tour so I could understand the most important elements of the centre and the wildlife that is special to each part of the site. I needed to do extensive research into the wildlife on the site and make sure that the final drawing would capture the bird life that is key to making Slimbridge special. Before starting the final drawing, I prepared a sketch layout version (below) that I discussed with the retail team. This allowed the team to comment on what I had proposed and tweak some aspects to make it more relevant, for example, replacing the bird of prey with a bird more suited to the wetland environment. Once I had received this feedback, I then proceeded with drawing the final design. |
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The final illustration
The resulting drawing was one which captures the built elements of Slimbridge nestled within the surrounding landscape and the wildlife is an integral and important element. The wildlife featured in the illustration were representative of what can be seen in the wetlands at Slimbridge and included: kingfisher, curlew, oystercatcher, avocet, flamingos, Nene geese, swans, Bewick swans, swallows and white fronted geese. The final drawing has been turned into a series of six cards, and a collection of five prints at different sizes. The head of commercial at the WWT has said that 'the products produced are already being snapped up by our customers.' |
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This project combined my love of wildlife and nature with my architectural drawing style.
It was a pleasure to create this illustration for such a wonderful nature conservation charity and to convey the important work of restoring wetlands through my artwork. |
