I recently treated myself to a whole day at the Melbourne Zoo, drawing animals. Seeing animals in captivity fills me with mixed feelings, but I tried to focus on the sheer wonder of each critter. I also respect the care and dedication shown by zoo staff – like this intrepid Giraffe-keeper, trying to share his knowledge while a chorus of small children screamed loudly in the background.
Zoos give people the rare opportunity to get close to animals that can be hard to observe in the wild. Like these Tasmanian Devils (above). Note how my journal pages include very wobbly and unfinished sketches – this is because the Devils were moving about, and I was just trying to capture what impressions I could. But this kind of drawing practice is invaluable because it makes you look closely at the critter, and really notice its shape, proportions and behavior. You also get better at capturing what you see quickly. I did the ink outlines while at the Zoo and added the colours later, from memory.
The lions were not as lively, but were further away, so it was harder to make out the details.
Perhaps the most enjoyable part of my visit was sitting and sketching the pinnipeds swimming underwater – such an amazing experience. I think there was one Australian Sea Lion and one Fur Seal. The Sea Lion was very interested in a ball that was suspended on a chain and seemed to be full of food. Australian Sea Lions forage on the sea floor, and tend to use their eyes more than Fur Seals, which tend to hunt fish in the water column. So it made sense that the Sea Lion spent more time trying to manipulate the ball to get its food than the Fur Seal.