Drawing and Painting Insects E-Book

Andrew Tyzack

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 247

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Drawing and Painting Insects is a beautiful and inspiring guide. Whatever your experience, whether new to the subject or a seasoned entomologist, this book will help you capture the beauty of insects by helping you understand their structure and appreciate their behaviour, movement, colour and habitat. Advice on finding insects to draw and paint, including how to raise your own insect models; Guide to the anatomy and life cycles of the insect for the artist; Step-by-step demonstrations of drawings, looking at perspective, tonal values and mark-making techniques; Examples of watercolour and oil paintings representing insects in precise, scientific renditions through to more creative interpretations; Introduction to other uses of insect illustration, including printmaking, sculpture, leather and glass; Illustrated with examples and insights from leading artists. A beautiful and inspiring guide to drawing and painting insects, of inspiration to botanical artists, natural historians, wildlife artists and biologists. Gives advice on finding insects to draw and paint, understanding their structure, appreciating their behaviour, movement, colour, habitat and much more. Superbly illustrated with examples and insights from leading artists - 541 colour illustrations in total. Andrew Tyzack is a graduate from the Royal College of Art and is well known for his painting of beekeepers and engravings of bees.

Leseprobe

Drawing and Painting

INSECTS

Andrew Tyzack

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2014 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2014

© Andrew Tyzack 2014

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 84797 625 3

Frontispiece: Bombus hortorum, oil on canvas by Andrew Tyzack.

CONTENTS

Foreword by Katrina van Grouw

Introduction

1. FIRST FIND YOUR INSECT

2. INSECT ANATOMY FOR THE ARTIST

3. DRAWING INSECTS

4. INSECTS IN THE FIELD

5. PAINTING INSECTS

6. INSECTS IN PRINTMAKING

7. INSECTS IN ART

Bibliography

Further information

Index

The Five Queens, diamond wheel engraved glass by Ronald Pennell.

FOREWORD

When Andrew Tyzack asked me to write the Foreword for this book you could have knocked me down with a feather. Why me? I thought. After all, my sum of insect art comprises forty or so illustrations for a single book over two decades ago. Not only were they of micro-moths (clothes moths to most of us) but they were almost all of the heads of micro-moths. If that isn’t obscure enough, they were the heads of micro-moths from South-east Asia. It wasn’t a best-seller.

But to return to the honour bestowed upon me by the author of this book, I didn’t ask questions. Andrew obviously had his reasons, and after all, I don’t know how many people he had asked before me.

Like Andrew, my opinion of insects was shaped by my experiences in early childhood, and my experiences in childhood were shaped by popular names and folklore. ‘Bloodsuckers’ – really just harmless Lily Beetles – filled me with horror. Earwigs were the stuff of nightmares. I genuinely believed that those noisome bags of living pus – ‘Leatherjackets’ – would make me wet the bed. And there was that traumatic occasion gathering caterpillars in the school playground when my friend Nigel Turnham and I spotted the same magnificent specimen at the same time. Nigel grabbed it first. I opened my mouth to protest, and just at that moment Nigel threw it in my face…

I could never quite forgive insects after that. Far too many legs for comfort, and a disturbing tendency to touch you when you’re least expecting it. So it’s remarkable therefore, that looking through this book, on almost every page there’s a picture that I would absolutely love to have on my wall. And it’s not just the pretty butterflies. Whether they fill you with delight or disgust, insects are possibly the most aesthetically rich, the most romantic, the most enigmatic, and sensually alluring animals on the planet. Yes, I’ll say it – insects are sexy. Enter the world of barely imagined beings: creatures that see in colours we could never even visualize; follow the pheromones through a mysterious nocturnal world; perform your waggle dance in the hive; survive the chemical carnage of an ant battlefield; become a Mayfly and live for just one day…

With insects, it’s not about what we see and understand – it’s about exploring the realms of the imagination. It would be science fiction, if it weren’t science fact. As an artist and a scientist (of sorts), I have a great interest in the trade-off between accuracy and aesthetics in wildlife art. For example, is it possible to know so much that it stifles the wonderment you might otherwise enjoy? Or that in striving to get every maxilla, every antenna, in its rightful place you forget to express your feelings? With insects at least you can guarantee that the more we understand the more we must surely be amazed and inspired.

In this wonderful book Andrew Tyzack has generously shared his knowledge and experience for the sake of all like-minded artists, aiding us in our field drawing, our moth trapping, butterfly collecting, bee-keeping and even getting the most out of visits to zoos and museum collections. I urge everyone using this book to take advantage of it. You don’t have to be an entomologist to draw and paint insects, but you’re missing an incredible treat if you choose not to learn from them.

My brief period illustrating the micro-moths for The Natural History Museum (long before I was employed there as a curator of birds) was a very special time. I’d just graduated from the Royal College of Art and, having spent five years saving my pennies, was about to take part in an expedition to the South American rainforest. Would I collect some moths for the museum? Of course I would! But instead of furnishing me with a moth trap, I was instructed to stuff some old fishnet stockings with feathers and hang them up in trees. Oh, and pee on them first. Moths may be attracted to light, but there’s nothing like the smell of stale urine to really get ‘em going!

To quickly change the subject, I’d like to finish off with a suitably Lepidopteran limerick that I thought up whilst gazing through my microscope at those tiny heads:

There was a poor man from Bowmore

Who lived on the moths in his store

But he ate one too many

With furry antennae

And coughed up the moths on the floor.

Katrina van Grouw

Aylesbury, 2013

Self-Portrait with Death’s-head Hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos), oil on linen by Andrew Tyzack.

INTRODUCTION

When I was a small boy my father was driving me along a dark country lane, and we could see moths in the car’s headlights. He told me that every night of the year a moth flies somewhere even on Christmas day. In my child’s wonderment I took this literally to mean that no matter how cold or frozen Britain was, somewhere a single moth took to the wing and fluttered under a silvery moon and over twinkling ice and snow. My father obviously meant that in Britain moths flew all year round including in the winter, but he had started a romance within me with all things creepy crawly. In the writing of this book I have been fortunate to be able to revisit the magic of those days when for a child the world was full of wonderful ‘beasties’ yet to be discovered.

When I was a student at the Royal College of Art we always spent Fridays at London Zoo, where we drew and painted the animals from life. This was a fundamental requirement for our Professor, John Norris Wood’s approach to drawing and painting animals. Most of us already drew from life and understood perfectly the difference between a copied photograph and an original piece of art, carefully researched and crafted, using where possible live specimens in their natural habitats for our models. Certainly, John’s own insect and reptile art represents a lifetime of studying creatures from a first-hand perspective and often in their own habitats. In this book I have endeavoured to use live insects as my models as often as it was practicable. I think that the reader will see a determined approach to drawing and painting living insects which, if not available, can be substituted with mounted specimens or post mortem specimens to make the best possible models. The artist can then call upon the memory of the particular attitudes, habits and posture of the living insect to render the drawing lifelike, preserving the essential characteristics of a moment. Of course insects can move with speeds that the human eye just cannot perceive or they inhabit the night and can’t be seen. There are techniques that can aid an artist to overcome these limitations and photography coupled with drawn studies can be very useful.

While still a student at the Royal College I learnt that it was easy to gain access to the vast collections of London’s Natural History Museum, and its sister the Rothschild Museum in Tring. Here I was able to make studies of many insect and bird specimens, including Darwin’s Hawkmoth (Xanthopan morganii or the predicted one) and the actual Galapagos finch specimens collected and handled by Charles Darwin himself. Kevin Dean, our botanical illustration tutor, once told me about an orchid called Phragmipedium caudatum discovered in Madagascar and how Darwin predicted the existence of the hawkmoth that fed on it. The hawkmoth was later discovered with its amazingly long proboscis that could indeed reach the deep-lying nectaries of this orchid species. This led to a visit to the Natural History Museum where dozens of specimens were made available for me to draw and paint. It was a privilege indeed to be able to visit such an illustrious building and institution. I have also made trips to see animals in their natural habitats, including the rare Chinese pink dolphins in the Pearl River Delta, Hong Kong; tigers in the Jim Corbett National Park, India; and Rainforest Reserves in Malaysia and Thailand; Chobe National Park, Botswana; Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Such trips provide fabulous opportunities to see wildlife in its natural state and as the sun slips quickly below the horizon the light fades and when sipping a gin and tonic on the lodge veranda, a plethora of animals of all types and sizes, bats, nightjars and geckos, is drawn into the pool of light; day fades and the dark forest night begins.

In this book I have looked at several approaches from the expressive and imaginative to the scientific, where dedicated faithfulness to the insect’s character is necessary and this is the Natural History direction this book will take. Insects may feature largely in art or be merely incidental; nevertheless they always make fascinating and beautiful subjects for any artist.

I have assumed that the reader has some knowledge of art and an interest in and affection for insects, and hope that my book will elicit inspiration for all who read it. Ultimately, the serious artist aims to attend an art school to dedicate full-time study to their passion, but this is not necessarily the only way forward. This is a book for the entomological expert and novice alike who have an interest in drawing and painting insects. I also hope that, although this is a difficult book, the boy I once was might be inspired to investigate and wonder about the unknown world of these strange and glorious creatures.

Hatchling Stick and Leaf Insects, pencil on paper by Andrew Tyzack.

CHAPTER 1

FIRST FIND YOUR INSECT

From Egg to Adult: Keeping Insects for Inspiration

Satisfaction can be gained by rearing your own insect models from the egg to adulthood. If you are willing to learn husbandry then you may even breed your own insects. If you really want to draw a particular species, then this may be the only way that you can obtain a specimen. Insect eggs, nymphs, larvae, and pupae are easily bought from numerous breeders, while many insect enthusiasts may just have had a hatch, are inundated with immature insects and want to offload some of them. If you develop the right contacts, then it is easy to swap your own surplus with others, and even to be given free insects just by promising to provide a good home. Your supplier should give you an information sheet, with instructions on how to get your eggs to hatch, and how to look after the growing insects. Your insect eggs will often arrive in the post. Taking many forms, they can look very exciting or very drab like a dry plant seed. By providing the right conditions in which your eggs or pupae thrive then they could start hatching within days of their purchase while others may take several months. They may take so long to hatch that you may be convinced that they have died, but suddenly they emerge, often in large numbers: a praying mantis ‘oothe-ca’ may contain several hundred baby praying mantises. Being in the right place at the right time helps if you wish to make studies of an insect hatching but only too often you will be making a cup of tea or out shopping when it happens. To forestall this I often take my specimens on holiday with me.

Praying Mantis Ootheca Before and During Hatching, pencil on paper by Andrew Tyzack.

Stick and Leaf Insect Ova, pencil on paper by Andrew Tyzack.

Clearly some insects are easier to rear and keep than others. Amongst the first insects that I kept as a child were Indian stick insects or laboratory stick insects, as they are sometimes known. So easy to keep that a child can manage this very successfully, but be warned as they are prone to escape and you will have a stick insect’s population explosion all over your house. The unexpected insect on a teacup, or crawling up an arm while watching TV, can produce quite strong reactions in visitors, so it is best to avoid this if possible. There are many species of stick insect and some grow to be quite spectacular. I personally find their differing egg forms just as fascinating as the insects themselves. Being simple, they are easy, and at the same time quite a challenge, to draw, being of a complex form and texture.

By rearing your own insects you have access to specimens at all stages of their life cycles, which is something that might otherwise be difficult to achieve. The adults and juveniles make good models, as they can remain static for hours on end. Their apparently simple forms can be surprisingly difficult to draw and their mimicry of sticks and foliage can seem to offer little to the artist. Perseverance though is rewarded as John Norris Wood demonstrates with his colourful and characterful drawings.

Using Photographs

Photographs are often the first port of call for the aspiring artist. The subject is already rendered in two dimensions and is reassuringly not moving. Easy then to make a drawing or painting armed with such source material? The answer is yes and no. Much information can be garnered from a photograph or a film featuring an insect subject, and may indeed be the only way that an insect in flight can be truly observed. It is only when the artist has drawn a great deal from life that the photograph can definitively be useful. There is no real substitute for life drawing and the gaining of genuine drawing skills. An ability to render three-dimensional objects in two dimensions is achieved by study and constant practice through drawing. It is recommended to work from life whenever possible as an artist will lack necessary visual information if the photographic quality is not good or lacks detail. Importantly, a good photograph is a complete visual statement in its own right and it would be futile to try to reproduce it in another form. The way the human eye roves over a specimen, always re-focusing so detail is sharp, the small changes of angle and movement revealing the other, hidden, side are instinctive and ‘revealing’. Otherwise a good stock of photographs, taken with the artist’s own camera, can be invaluable in the depths of winter when there is little chance of obtaining a specimen. Occasionally luck prevails, and a specimen can be found; I was lucky once to find a dead crane fly in an old spider’s web in my garden shed which I needed for an urgent commission in the depths of winter.

Buying Insects

In today’s age of the internet it is very easy to purchase insects; they will survive the journey to your home, and arrive in good, healthy condition if they have been packaged correctly. There are several reputable breeders of insects (some of whom are listed in the back of this book), who will supply you with all manner of fauna, whether your interest is in the exotic or native. It is vitally important not to let any insect that you buy escape into the wild, as they may become an invasive species creating much damage to the native eco-system. There have been many recent examples of this happening, such as the Harlequin ladybird invasion, where damage to our native species has been swift and relentless.

Stick Insects, mixed media drawings on paper by John Norris Wood.

Insects for Reptile Food

Insects can also be bought which are intended as food for reptiles or carnivorous insects such as the praying mantis. Crickets and locusts are probably a good choice in this case, as they are large and easy to keep as pets. Some people even find the chirping of crickets very relaxing and a welcome sound in the home. Locusts and crickets are suitable for drawing, being large and robust and possessing interesting colours and textures, making them both challenging and rewarding to draw. Breeders produce large quantities of these insects and they are very cheap to buy from internet suppliers or at your local pet shop.

Reptile food: locusts, photograph © Andrew Tyzack.

Bees

Whole colonies of bees can be bought from bee breeders, or even at local bee auctions but are generally very expensive. Queen honeybees can also be bought from specialist queen breeders; astonishing prices can be paid for Queens with a good pedigree. Bee breeders devote much time to setting up breeding stations and providing the virgin Queens with just the right strain of drones with which to mate. Others even practise artificial insemination to ensure that the perfect genetic strain is achieved. Dead or dying bees can be found at the entrance to hives and you will find an astonishing range of colours and patterns from the native black to the very yellow ‘Italian’ (bred in Italy) honeybees.

Queen Honeybee: postal delivery, photograph © Andrew Tyzack.

Tropical longhorn beetle, photograph © Andrew Tyzack.

Praying Mantis studies, watercolour on paper by Debbie Grice.

Specimens

Specimens are also easily bought, but the insect artist should take great care to buy from a reputable source. No one should buy insects that have been collected from the wild, for the very good reason of not wishing to deplete natural stocks and even contribute to a species’ extinction. Indeed it’s often illegal to collect certain insect species in the wild. If dead insects are sought then they should be purchased from a good supplier who breeds their insects from a captive population. These can come mounted or un-mounted which dictates the price payable. Specimens can also be bought ethically from old collections; whole butterfly and moth collections can be found easily at antique markets providing excellent source material. This can be very useful if an artist needs a complete species list of butterflies for a particular country. Sometimes you may find that you are uncertain about the provenance of a purchase, in which case you should err on the side of caution.

The Desire of the Moth for the Lamp

One of the most enjoyable activities for an insect enthusiast is moth trapping. Inhabitants of the dark night, moths are mysterious creatures that usually only make an appearance in artificial light. The desire of the moth for the lamp can easily be exploited and numerous specimens captured by an artist for study. The moths can then be released unharmed the next evening when they are safe from scavenging birds. There are several types of trap available on the market and they are even relatively simple to make oneself. All use light bulbs that emit light in the ultraviolet spectrum, which moths find irresistible. The traps can be manned throughout the night or visited first thing the next morning and any specimens easily potted and taken back to the studio. In a surprisingly short time moth trapping can become an obsession in itself and has inspired some wonderful artwork, such as John Norris Wood’s Desire of the Moth for the Lamp, a silkscreen print based on an evening’s moth trapping in a tropical rainforest. The sheet and mercury vapour lamp become an integral part of Wood’s composition and he has cleverly depicted the effect of the ultra violet light which is illuminating the white surface with an unearthly violet glow.

Skinner moth trap in a garden, photograph © Andrew Tyzack.

Moth trapping equipment, photograph © Tim Freed.

Constructing a DIY Moth Trap

One of the most popular do-it-yourself moth traps is the Skinner trap. The homemade Skinner trap will give more than satisfactory results, and will make a suitable entry into the world of moth trapping. It is very easily constructed from scrap materials. I made mine for a few pounds in less than an hour with a couple of old shelves, a strip of wood and sheets of perspex that I had lying around my studio. Of course, a more skilled and determined wood worker could make a more beautifully engineered piece of joinery but I doubt that it would capture any more moths than mine. Moths are just not interested in aesthetics. I purchased a lamp kit from a supplier of moth traps and the necessary electrics and by following a diagram it was not difficult to wire up the circuits. I chose to use a 125w mercury-vapor (MV) lamp, which requires a ‘choke’ due to the need for the bulb to slowly warm up. The MV lamp is very bright and hot, lighting up a garden like a stadium, and is very successful for attracting moths, as is an ‘actinic’ bulb but the latter emits far less visible light, and consequently, might be kinder on your sleeping neighbours. I was able to try out my home-made trap the very same night I made it and that very same night captured beautiful moths to begin my moth-trap diary. I released them all unharmed the next evening, none the worse for wear. Amazingly moths really can be caught at any time of the year including the depths of winter.

DIY Skinner moth trap design.

Widely regarded as one of the very best moth traps, moths are more reluctant to leave the Robinson trap than they are the Skinner trap. The Robinson trap is more challenging to make than the Skinner trap, but is achievable to the committed DIY enthusiast.

Buying a Moth Trap

There are many commercially-made moth traps that can be bought and although it is possible that an expertly made, tried and tested moth trap will capture more moths than the DIY model, numbers will not be necessarily that much higher. The Robinson Moth Trap is widely recognized as one of the best moth traps and will retain most of the captured moths. Skinner traps can also be bought and are made to higher specifications than is possible with DIY methods.

DIY Robinson moth trap design.

R.L.E. Ford with a Robinson moth trap in the back garden, circa. 1950s, photograph © Watkins & Doncaster.

Setting the Trap

The moth trap can be placed almost anywhere, providing that it is not a nuisance to neighbours. Generators or 12v batteries are used to power the trap away from an existing source of electricity, in woodland or heathland for instance. An important consideration is to weatherproof your trap, especially the electrical parts. Weather can change very rapidly and heavy rain spoils the fun. Although even in downpours I have caught moths, and they appear quite happy nestling on the underside of soggy egg boxes, it is best avoided if possible. Importantly the light bulb needs to be protected. If rain splashes onto it the resultant rapid cooling can cause the bulb to break and shatter. Special rain guards can be bought to protect against this happening and any leads and chokes also need to be weather proofed. Place your trap within reach of an electrical source in an open area in the garden or, as you become more adventurous, try a generator in different habitats or even move into portable moth trapping with a 12v battery. Turn on at dusk and come back in the morning to see what you have captured. Traps are customarily filled with old egg boxes, which provide a comfortable hiding place for any captured moths. These are carefully lifted out and turned over in the morning to check for specimens. It is very easy to pot the moths from here.

Egg box with trapped insects, photograph © Andrew Tyzack.

White sheet and mercury-vapour bulb moth trap, photograph © Andrew Tyzack.

The Desire of the Moth for the Lamp, silkscreen print by John Norris Wood.

Draw your moths in situ or take them into your studio. Make sure that you remember to release them the next evening as you are now responsible for their well being. Hanging a white sheet in front of your moth trap will encourage moths to settle. An adventurous artist may even attempt to draw the moths as they fly in and around the trap.

Moth Trap Diary

These are just a few studies and drawings made from moths caught in my DIY moth trap.

Insect Husbandry: Keeping Insects

As far as keeping livestock goes, insects are an inexpensive and relatively easy affair. Many insect enthusiasts like myself will have kept insects in their bedrooms as children in any suitable box or container such as fish tanks, plastic bottles or anything similar and preferably transparent. As a child I even kept a glow worm (Lampyris noctiluca) under my bed. Today, as I write, I have insects in the airing cupboard, my study, the pantry downstairs and in the garden. My crickets are gently chirping away right behind me, and occasionally my praying mantis taps away at the side of the sweet jar that I keep her in. Like all animal husbandry insect keeping does cause some difficulties with holidays away. Not so long ago I had to take my just-about-to-pupate Death’s-Head Hawkmoth caterpillars on a train with me, complete with luggage, a jar full of buddleia foliage and my two dogs. The caterpillars would have probably pupated successfully without a trip to Devon, but I couldn’t risk leaving them behind in case they ate all their food and starved.

Moth trap diary: Elephant Hawkmoth (Deilephila elpenor), pencil and coloured pencil on paper by Andrew Tyzack.

Moth trap diary: Poplar Hawkmoth (Laothoe populi), pencil and coloured pencil on paper by Andrew Tyzack.

Moth trap diary: Poplar Kitten (Furcula bifida), pencil on paper by Andrew Tyzack.

Moth trap diary: Red Underwing (Catocala nupta), charcoal on paper by Andrew Tyzack.

Moth trap diary: Peppered Moth (Biston betularia), pencil on paper by Andrew Tyzack.

Moth trap diary: Swallow Prominent (Pheosia tremula), pencil on paper by Andrew Tyzack.

Moth Trap Diary: Burnished Brass (Diachrysia chrysitis), pencil on paper by Andrew Tyzack.

Moth trap diary: Silver Y (Autographa gamma), pencil on paper by Andrew Tyzack.

Death’s-head, Convolvulus, Privet, Elephant, Eyed and Lime Hawkmoth Pupae, pencil on paper by Andrew Tyzack.

Suggested Species: Praying Mantis

Praying mantises make exciting subjects for the artist who wishes to keep a live insect for study. They are carnivorous, colourful, dynamic and dangerous to other insects including to members of their own order. Mantises can be bought as an adult, as a nymph, or a mantis ootheca may be purchased (potentially hundreds of nymphs). There are many species readily available; all are spectacular to look at and many are truly bizarre, coming in all shapes and colours from green to orange, from flower to twig-like shape. A rule of thumb guide to housing a praying mantis is to provide a cage or container that is at least three times the mantis’ body length. I have often used large sweet jars, easily obtainable from sweet shops, and made a small donation to the shop’s favourite charity as a friendly gesture. For a cover I use a piece of muslin, kept in place by an elastic band. The muslin prevents escape for the mantis and its live food, and ensures that the enclosure has plenty of ventilation. Water can also be sprayed directly through the muslin. A small hole, large enough for a cricket or locust to be introduced through, is made in the muslin. A rolled-up piece of tissue suffices as a stopper for the hole, and is easily removed when live food needs to be placed in with the mantis. Inside the mantis enclosure a substrate is required for the floor. This is kept wet with the mist from a gardener’s water spray, and provides the mantis with some humidity. Soil, peat, peat or soil mixed with sand, or vermiculite can be used as a substrate. For the mantis’ furniture a suitable stick is required. This gives the mantis an easy route up and down the enclosure and provides a convenient perch for hunting and for resting. Feeding mantises is rather like feeding time for the lions at a zoo. Mantises eat fresh meat and live food is required. Fruit flies or ‘micro’ crickets are excellent for small praying mantis nymphs, increasingly larger crickets or locusts provide a meal for larger nymphs and adults. The tissue stopper is simply removed and the prey insect is dropped in through the hole. Some organization is required to ensure that a constant supply of live insects is always on hand, which can entail hunting safaris in the garden or other suitable locations. Once the prey insect is in the enclosure its minutes are numbered. The mantis will often sit just in the perfect position to capture its meal, and the cricket that you have just dropped in will wander within striking range almost immediately. An ambush predator, the mantis will suddenly grasp the cricket in its raptorial forelegs, and devour its prey. This can be a rather gruesome but dreadfully fascinating sight.

Praying Mantis Nymph Studies, pencil on paper by Andrew Tyzack.

Suggested Species: Stick Insects