Drawing Wildlife

This book is not just another drawing book in that it goes into the anatomy (skeletal structure) of each animal covered. For anyone who is serious about drawing wildlife, this is a necessary part of the art education. I highly recommend this book. It will be a reference guide for a lifetime.

I checked this book out at the library before I decided to buy it. It is wonderful. It doesn't just show you how to draw each animal. It focuses on each aspect of the animal and different types of each animal. An example would be the cat family. It shows you how to draw eyes, paws, ears, face, nose etc... It shows you direction of the fur, so however you draw this type of animal you will be accurate. In the cat section, it explains the Canadian Lynx, Bobcat, and Mountain Lion, with all their subtle differences. It then shows you how to draw the Mountain Lion. I believe I have learned a lot in this book. It is, by far, the best drawing book I have ever read and used and I think it is a necessity to anyone wanting to learn how to draw animals. I highly recommend it!

I'm the type of person that buys a lot of books, and if I don't use them much, I re-sell them or give them away. But "Drawing Wildlife" has become one of my favorite reference books that I'll never get rid of. I make animals and people (sculptures) from wool, using the process of needle felting. This book has become one of my most used guides to get proportions correct, expressions authentic, and shading/coloring accurate. The author even explains which direction theh animal's hair lays, and gives beautiful details down to the toes or hooves. In whatever medium you create, if you include wildlife, you need this book.

If you're at all interested in learning more about drawing North American mammals, this book is SOOO worth it! She goes into detail about structure, the simplified forms of the animals, their movements, and the hair patterns! She covers a lot of species other books have missed, like the small rodents, the cacomistle, the opossum, and others. My only real quibble with the book is the title (which I think J.C. didn't choose, anyway- the publisher named the book.) Every time I open this book, I find something new to marvel at. Her knowledge of animal anatomy is amazing and extensive. I hope she does a book on drawing birds as well!

J.C. Amberlyn's first art book is remarkable in several aspects. Not only does she have a clear, concise way of passing on her hard-won knowledge of anatomy and artistic technique; she also delights in sharing her love and respect for the amimals that she portrays. Her simple, direct instructions will be of use to the seasoned artist who lacks her years of field observation, as well as young people just starting to draw. This little volume is destined, I think, to become a standard reference to those who value the "nuts & bolts" basics of wildlife art; one of those books that are kept at hand to review again and again. It's a "keeper".

J.C. Amberlyn is a fine wildlife artist whom I have been watching evolve for almost 10 years, both for her nature art and her cartoon characters (love you, Space Chicken and Space Weasel!). This book does not tell you the magic secret of J.C. Amberlyn's incredibly lifelike animal art--that spark that animates each and every one of her drawings, no matter if it's unfinished or not. But it's the closest she can come, and she shares her unique artistic viewpoint and her 20+ years of wildlife studies with you with no holds barred. I understand that the publishers cut out a lot of her discourse on each animal's habits--too bad, because that was as entertaining as the drawing lessons in the preview edition I read some months ago. A second book, please, with the edited materials and more? But I digress. I am not an artist. I have trouble with stick figures. However, "Drawing Wildlife" gave even me some hope that with a little (lot!) of practice, I can draw something that someone besides my husband will recognize. My first bear (p.86) was actually overtly bear-esque, in fact. My daughter, who draws well, did even better, and my mother, who draws even better than my daughter, produced a wonderful bear on her first try from Amberlyn's directions. Amberlyn uses traditional art teaching methods such as uniting shapes with lines to form a coherent whole--except, when she's doing it, that cougar that consists of 1 circle, 4 lines, 2 rectangles, one triangle and 3 ellipses already has an animated, lifelike pose. As I said, magic! (See page 54). Also, I don't know how she does it, but no matter how unfinished the drawing around them, the eyes she produces stare at you right from the page (pp 22, 34). That's the wonder of J.C. Amberlyn, and although I can't make it happen yet, as I said--this book gives me hope! I can't recommend it highly enough for those who actually can draw. I think you'll see your own magic flow from your pencil in very short order. Way to go, J.C. Amberlyn! P.S. If you have never looked at J.C. Amberlyn's nature art or her cartoons, do yourself a favor and find her online.