Distinguished Member of the Society of Animal Artists
July 18 & 19
10 a.m.–4 p.m.
$295 member / $365 non-member
Ages 16+
Join John to learn his approach to drawing realistic birds from life. Whether you’re a birder who wants to draw, or an artist fascinated by the natural world, this course welcomes you. Build confidence in your drawing, deepen your knowledge of birds, and discover new ways of seeing. You’ll work with photos and videos, and finish with an unusual studio experience–drawing a live bird model.
John will demonstrate the importance of understanding bird anatomy by exploring skeletons, feather groups, and different bill and foot types, as well as what can be learned from specimens. He will teach drawing techniques, show how to use reference photos effectively, and introduce memory-sketching practices. Throughout Saturday and again on Sunday morning, you’ll take part in sketching sessions that prepare you for demonstrations and drawing from live birds on Sunday afternoon.
Birds rarely stay still for long, which makes them challenging models. Drawing birds teaches purposeful, efficient observation—skills that strengthen all life drawing and enrich every naturalist’s experience.
Student Materials List
Pencils:
Graphite 2B & 4B
Mechanical pencil 0.7
Small pencil sharpener
Ink Pens: (black)
Uni-ball Signo Bold 207 (gel pen)
Uni-ball Signo Micro 207 (gel pen)
Uni-ball Jetstream 0.7 (ball point pen)
Faber-Castell B (brush pen) Pitt Artist Pen
Sketchbook: (9 X 12 or 11 X 14) Strathmore 400 series DRAWING medium (or any spiral bound sketchbook with smooth surface)
Instructor Bio
For over fifty years, John C. Pitcher has been expressing his passion for wildlife through beautifully rendered paintings. He fills sketchbooks and field journals, with the creative eye of an artist and observant mind of a naturalist. He is known for dynamic compositions that reveal his affinity for wildlife, especially birds.
Born in Michigan to parents who loved to camp, Pitcher developed curiosity about nature and a gift for art. With fervency for adventure and wilderness, he left home the day after high school graduation to hitchhike 3500 miles to Alaska–only to be drafted into the US Army just weeks after reaching the Great Land. So Pitcher went from the pungent boreal forests of Alaska to the steaming jungles of the Vietnam War. By serving his country he earned a Bronze Star and an early out!
Never losing sight of his dream to go north, he moved back to Alaska. Over the next twelve years, he merged his passion for birds with his talent for painting, gaining a reputation as one of Alaska’s leading wildlife artists. Twelve years later, he migrated south to Washington, in the shadow of Mt. St. Helens, where he became the “Artist/Naturalist in Residence” at the Cispus Learning Center. From his studio at this environmental camp, he further developed his painting and plein air sketching skills while teaching students about the environment through art lectures, bird banding and nature journaling.
In 1994 he moved to Vermont, enjoying the mixed deciduous forests of the Green Mountains with his wife Sue Westin, also a professional artist. They maintain their studios in Dorset along the shores of the beautiful Dorset Marsh. As a Distinguished Signature Member of the international Society of Animal Artists, Pitcher has exhibited his art in major museums and galleries in America and abroad.
www.westinpitcherart.com
Blog: https://johncpitcherart.wordpress.com
