Wild Life Drawing Online: Harpy Eagles

At this class we will study one of the largest and rarest raptors on Earth- the Harpy Eagle. These incredible animals have wingspans reaching 6.5ft, and their rear talons are as large as the claws of a grizzly bear. In ancient times they were revered as divine creatures- if only the same could be said for today. The species is subject to human persecution, and has reached critically endangered status/extinction in several countries. The remaining population is spread out across Central America where their range is wide but their numbers are few. Education is proving to be an effective conservation method, and there is hope that by instilling a pride and love for the species in younger generations, the fate of these majestic birds could be turned around.

We will be joined online by Anna Bryant, who is the biology coordinator at ARCAS- a grassroots wildlife rescue organisation set up by Guatemalan citizens. Anna will tell us the story of an injured male that ARCAS cared for, which they believe could have been the last harpy eagle in Guatemala. She will explain the reasons that the species have been driven out of the country, and what she and her colleagues are doing to help in the fight to save the species. 

The session will be hosted by nature illustrator Laura Cuppage, who will begin with an introduction to anatomical drawing, and her top tips on capturing those fierce features on your page. While we sketch there will be time for plenty of questions so you will come away with not only some striking sketches but a greater understanding of these majestic birds. The class is open to all abilities so whether you haven’t drawn since school or you draw on the daily, you’ll get loads out of the session. The basic materials you need to take part are some paper, a pencil, a sharpener and a rubber, but if you’d like to experiment with other materials please free to get creative! We will be drawing from reference images provided by ARCAS, which will be emailed to you (along with instructions and the Zoom link) before the event is due to start. As with all our online sessions, we will send out a recording of the class afterwards so that you can watch it back as many times as you like.

50% of ticket profits will go to ARCAS Guatemala.