29 - 30 March 2025, Birds of the Wet Tropics - Olive-backed Sunbirds, with Zoe Lawrence

Create your own coloured pencil illustration of the Olive-backed Sunbird with professional bird illustrator Zoe Lawrence. 

• Dates: 29 - 30 March 2025
  
• Day/Times: Saturday 9.00am - 4.00pm, Sunday 10.30am - 1.30pm
• Venue: Cairns Art Gallery, Cnr Abbott and Shields Streets, Cairns, Queensland

About the course/workshop
The Olive-backed sunbird is an iconic honeyeater-like bird species of the Daintree Rainforest. This delightful little bird flits among the flowers, probing for nectar with its graceful curved bill. It has a beautiful suspended nest which hangs from twigs with a cord of grass and fibres.  

During this two-day workshop we will take a look at the unique behaviours and features of this bird, and spend some time developing bird sketches with observational drawing techniques of different postures. Basic pencil and coloured pencil techniques will be demonstrated and practiced. We will work together towards a completed colour pencil illustration by the end of the workshop. 

Materials: A materials list will be sent to participants on booking, and includes colour pencils and graphite pencils. 

Learning Outcomes 

• Knowledge of materials and equipment used in studying and sketching the Olive-backed Sunbird.

• Knowledge of pencil and coloured pencil rendering techniques.
• Understanding of how to illustrate various textures/features of the sunbird with a focus on representing feathers.  
• Understanding of the importance of live observations and natural history research when creating an accurate illustration.

Level of course/workshop
Suitable for students from beginners to intermediate who wish to develop their skills with sketching birds and creating a beautiful coloured pencil illustration. 

About the tutor
Zoe Lawrence is an established natural history illustrator and artist based in Queensland. She has a passion for illustrating all aspects of the natural world but with a particular love for native Australian fauna. Throughout her years studying Natural History Illustration at the University of Newcastle she worked on many projects from animations for music videos, private commissions, logo designs and being published in Australian Geographic. After graduating she now works as a freelance commission artist while working fulltime with animals. She believes that it is important to properly observe and have a thorough understanding of a particular species to accurately portray it’s true beauty and charisma within artworks. Zoe works with a range of medium from pencil, coloured pencil, watercolour, acrylic and digital illustration. Zoe has been teaching with NatureArt Lab since 2022, and has been a guest tutor on our Galapagos and Amazonian Ecuador, and Borneo Nature tours. 

NatureArt Lab Awards:

2022, Telstra Best of Business Award Winner for Promoting Sustainability, ACT; and National Finalist Award

2024, Telstra Best of Business Award Winner for Building Communities, ACT; and National Finalist Award