Wild Life Drawing Online: Curlews

This April, join us online for a deep dive into the wading world of the Eurasian curlew. These enchanting birds are most known for the long, crescent-shaped beaks from which they get their scientific name, Numenius arquata. The genus name Numenius is from the Greek “neos mene”, meaning new moon, and the species name “arquata” is a Latin word for an archer’s bow. Curlews use these intelligent beaks like tweezers, to precisely pry worms, crustaceans and insects from the mud.

With their enigmatic nature and evocative call, curlews have inspired art and folklore for many years. The list of artworks, songs and poems that feature curlews is as impressive as it is long- they appear in poems by WB Yeats, Ted Hughes, and Robert Burns to mention just a few. 

We are delighted to say that for this class we will be joined online by producer, author, and director of Curlew Action, Mary Colwell. Mary is so passionate about curlews that in 2016 she walked 500 miles across Ireland and Britain to discover why their populations are in such rapid decline. Her brilliant book Curlew Moon details her journey and all she learned along the way. Whether you already love curlews or haven’t given them much thought up until now, we are sure that Mary’s infectious enthusiasm for the species will mean you’ll finish the class with a new favourite bird.  

The class will be hosted by artist and nature lover Jennie Webber, who will begin with a drawing demonstration, and provide her top tips for capturing the charming features of the curlew on your page. We will work from high-quality reference images provided by Curlew Action, and study a range of poses and positions. While we sketch, Mary will teach us all about curlews, and what we can do to join the efforts to conserve them. She will be happy to answer any questions you have too, so by the end of the session, you’ll be a fully fledged curlew buff!  

The class is open to all abilities, and there’s no pressure to work in a certain style. 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 feel free to get creative. We will email you an event link along with instructions and the reference images before the event. A recording of the class will be sent to you afterwards so that you can watch it back as many times as you like (or catch up if you aren’t able to tune in on the day).  

50% of profits will be donated to Curlew Action.