Back in July, 2018 Cordelia Norris, of Luna Creative design & illustration, and her husband, Joseph Cadotte, of Old Sins publishing collective, sent out a call-for-entry.  They were seeking black & white line drawings of North American nesting birds, with their hatchlings, for an educational colouring book anthology.  The juried entries were to be limited to birds who spend some or all of their time in the USA.

The impetus for creating this book was the terrible knowledge that migrating families were being forcibly separated at the Mexican border.  While the book isn't political, “the analogy is obvious - nestlings need their mothers and fathers to care for and protect them.” (Cordelia Norris)  

​Now five months later, our colouring book anthology, with thirty-five line drawings of varying styles from realistic/scientific to decorative, and representing the artistry of twenty-eight illustrators, is off to the printer!  

​My daughter, Anna, and I submitted works for inclusion . . .

We hope you will enjoy giving colour to these bird families!

​This book is designed to have wide appeal.  Each of the thirty-five illustrations, featuring nesting birds with their young, is accompanied by informative text, so you can learn about the unique characteristics of the birds as you colour.  

Our colouring book is now available for online purchase in Canada through the following vendors:  Amazon and Chapters Indigo.  For your convenience, there are direct links to the book in The  Bookstore.  Your gift to someone you know extends to those you have only heard about.  Twenty-five percent of proceeds on every sale will go to The Young Center, a non-profit organization providing legal and social services to children separated from their parents at the Mexican border.  

As you spread the word through social media, please use the hashtag  #familiesinflight
( :  Thank you!  : ) 
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Put simply, natural science illustration is “art in service of science”.  The artist “uses scientifically informed observational, technical, and aesthetic skills to portray a subject accurately.” (The Guild Handbook of Scientific Illustration, by the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators). Illustrator, Diana Marques, refers to herself as a “Visual Science Communicator”.  This title aptly describes the key role of a scientific illustrator -- communication!  Shapes, anatomy, details, and concepts that cannot be conveyed with words alone, and are often ambiguous in photographs, are visually described by the artist with clarity.​

​Scientific Illustration Distance Program, or SIDP, is an online distance course offered by Gretchen Halpert in four 10-week sessions.  The course is designed not only to teach students the art and conventions of scientific illustration, but also the skills for professional business practice.

To discover more about Gretchen, as a botanist, biological researcher, scientific illustrator, artist, and teacher, follow www.gretchenhalpert.com.

This introductory course builds drawing skills with the use of graphite.

​Recently I completed SIDP Session 1.  I would like to offer you my thoughts.  SIDP 1 has excellent progression, moving through material logically, from what is introductory to that which is more advanced.  Gretchen communicates the subject matter with clarity and offers evaluations that are sensitive to individual development.  She makes the most of every opportunity to prepare students for professional work.  Classes, delivered via Skype, allow for students to practice presentation and to learn from one another's work through assignment evaluations.  The course length is ideal - long enough to see growth, yet short enough to fit into the rest of life.  And for Gretchen, . . .

Next SIDP Session 1 course runs Tuesdays, from January 8 - March 12, 2019. 
​For information about all of Gretchen’s SIDP sessions, follow 
Gretchen Halpert Distance Program