Pauline Wilson, RSPB Local Group Secretary, writes:
“Hi Everybody. Kate Thompson kindly sent a report from the Orkney RSPB Wildlife Explorers’ outing “What Can We See On The Peedie Sea” which was coupled with a Wild Art Workshop courtesy of local artist Tim Wootton.
“Incidentally, Tim Wootton has recently scooped the Birdwatch/Swarovski Artist of the Year Award with a fine charcoal drawing depicting two Arctic Skuas. Many congratulations to Tim on this great achievement.”
Kate reports:
“Orkney’s growing band of RSPB Wildlife Explorers were treated to a master class in wildlife art. Sixteen youngsters were joined by renowned bird artist Tim Wootton, who provided some top tips on how to sketch birds, such as remembering that birds ‘knees’ are actually their ankles! The group also learnt from Eric Meek how to see birds up close through binoculars and telescopes before heading out to the Peedie Sea to put their new skills into practice.
“Fortunately, despite cloudy skies and a cool breeze, the rain held off and there were plenty of interesting subjects for the budding artists to choose from. They quickly demonstrated just how much they had learnt and came up with some very characterful drawings of swans, ducks and redshank. None could quite compare, however, with Tim’s own exquisite sketches of a long-tailed duck, which delighted everyone.
“In the run-up to next month’s Christmas party, some of the children will also try their hands at capturing wildlife in print, in hope of winning a national Wildlife Explorers poetry competition.”
For more information on RSPB Wildlife Explorers in Orkney please contact the RSPB office in Stromness and ask to be put in touch.
Tim Wootton’s blog is at http://tim-wootton.blogspot.com/.