Wild Life Drawing Online: Otters

This September, let’s take a deep dive into the watery, whiskery world of the otter! We will be learning about the positive impact that these marvellous mustelids have on the rivers and coastlines they inhabit across the globe. 

You’d be hard pushed to find a better guest to join us for this one than Ben Yoxon, who has lived and breathed otter conservation his whole life. His parents, Grace and Paul Yoxon, are the founders and directors of the International Otter Survival Fund, a not-for-profit based on the Isle of Skye. Since childhood, Ben has helped care for otters at the IOSF Rehabilitation Centre. He is now the charity’s Education Officer, teaching the next generation about how wonderful and important otters are. 

During the session, Ben will share one of his personal favourite rescue stories, about a female Eurasian otter named Holly. This sweet girl was one of the smallest cubs that the IOSF team have ever taken into the sanctuary. She was just a few days old when she was found with her two siblings under a container in Inverness. Unfortunately, medical issues meant that the other two cubs didn’t survive, but thankfully, little Holly went from strength to strength! Once she was old enough, she was released back to the wild. We will draw Holly at different stages, from chubby and fluffy cub to the sleek and streamlined adult she grew up to become. 

As well as learning about the UK’s native population of Eurasian otters, we will talk about the work that IOSF do around the world. We will sketch Oreo, a charismatic resident at Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, with whom IOSF work closely. Being a Hairy Nosed Otter, this dashing chap happens to be one of the rarest otters in the world! 

The class will be taught by animal lover and illustrator Jennie Webber, who will be working from some lovely reference images provided by the charity. Jennie will guide you through the process of observational drawing, pointing out the key features that will get your otters jumping right off the page. The class is open to all abilities, so whether your drawing skills are a bit rusty or you’re a well-oiled sketching machine, you’ll come away with some work to be proud of. After the class, we will send out a recording to all ticket holders, so you can catch up/ rewatch as many times as you like. 

50% of profits will be donated to the International Otter Survival Fund.