This was another session with the wonderful Wild Life Drawing where thanks to the wonders of Zoom, we enjoyed a great view of some gorgeous Seychelles fruit bats from Protect Paradise handled expertly by co-founder Tamara.
I had practised a little using the excellent resource pack sent out prior to the session, and all my bats looked a little bit mean…I’ve not drawn mammals much and I find getting them to look correctly foreshortened quite difficult when I’m also dealing with fur! It was good to get some basic shapes and a general understanding as the bats were very active so it was tricky to get more than some sketchy outlines. I am looking forward to revisiting the resource pack having seen the bats properly. It’s also slightly weird drawing them when they are upside down. Here are my practise sketches in my grey sketchbook with a fountain pen:
Of course the aim of the class is to educate and promote the work of these organisations that work tirelessly to help injured, abandoned and otherwise compromised animals and importantly, use their experiences to educate and inform. Having the chance to observe these astonishing creatures in close proximity was amazing, and I love the idea of using art in this way. I scribbled lots of notes as Tamara is so knowledgeable about her charges, and it was fascinating to hear about their importance in the ecosystem.
Here are some of the things we learnt:
- These bats are the only native land mammal on the Seychelles
- Their eyesight is as good as a human’s during the day, and as good as a cat’s in lower light
- Hearing is similar to humans, and smell is their primary sense
- They are vital for pollination and seed dispersal, as they sup the nectar from flowers and in doing so pick up pollen on their fur, and eat seeds which are then deposited elsewhere
- Habitat loss (tourism, development) and hunting are the main conservation concerns. Pick your holiday destination with care, and refuse the unnecessarily gimmicky (and cruel) fruit bat curry on offer in some of the more tourist-oriented eateries
- Take a look at Protect Paradise’s website: share their work and follow their social media
The anatomy of the bats is mind-blowing! Their wings are an incredible structure and I struggled a bit with orienting them as they used Tamara as a tree. My drawings were done with a Blackwing pencil in my Fabriano sketchbook.
Another wonderful blend of optimism, observation, learning and drawing from the WLD team.
