Invertebrates are the oldest and most numerous animals on the planet! Their body structures differ significantly from vertebrates’, and they are highly diverse and varied. This course will explore invertebrates through an illustrator’s eye, emphasizing the relationship between form and function. Each week, we will cover one or more major groups of invertebrates, learning about their anatomy, their life cycles, and the environmental niches they occupy. We will apply this knowledge to create beautiful, detailed, and anatomically correct illustrations!

This course meets over Zoom. Each week will feature a lesson on the week’s topic and a demonstration. Each week’s homework assignment will be the same – to choose a specific species belonging to the groups covered during that week’s lesson and to draw it to the best of your ability in the medium of your choice.

I strongly encourage you to complete assignments, but most of all I encourage you to do so only to the best of your ability and only with whatever time you have – this is meant to be educational, not stressful! At the beginning of each class, we will go over the last week’s homework with a short critique, so that we can appreciate and learn from each other’s work.

Invertebrate anatomy is a simply massive topic and, unlike my prior courses, this course will not feature a final project. We will spend the first seven weeks learning about different groups of invertebrates and producing homework pertinent to each week’s subject matter. Our last class will feature demonstrations based on what you’d like to see more of, as well as some further information about diagramming.

Students of all experience levels are more than welcome. Once you’ve registered for class, please send me an email at deepgreenravine@gmail.com and tell me a little bit about your artistic practice! I’d like to know what level you’re working at, what you’re interested in, and what medium / media you’d like to use. I will primarily demonstrate in graphite and in colored pencil; however, if you prefer watercolor, for example, I can absolutely add some demonstrations in watercolor. If you have any accessibility needs, please let me know about those as well.

Note that we may refer to dissection photos throughout the course of the class. If this is an issue for you, please notify me.

Note: This class meets online and will be recorded for your personal use or if you prefer to watch the recording on your own time and cannot make the class time.