Wildlife from Pencil to Digital

I’ve been a contributing artist for Wild Earth since the early 90’s when the publication was in print and geared toward the biological science community. Back then my primary medium was pencil and my time was spent creating detailed illustrations to satisfy the editor’s quarterly needs.

Today, as most things have evolved, much like that of Rewilding Earth, I’m creating the majority of my artwork digitally. I don’t have the luxury of hours on end any longer to sit and sketch, much less comprise a fully vested composition. With the help of Photoshop and Illustrator these days I’m able to replicate images that I envision, by combining key elements from photographs I’ve taken, to create accurate depictions of wildlife in their natural habitats. I do my best to remain respectful of being as traditionally artistic as I can and create effects similar to dry brush or watercolor in my works – trust me, if I had the time I would much prefer to draw or paint but at least I can still be creative.

–Darren Burkey

Note: You can see an online archive of all the issues of Wild Earth journal in The Rachel Carson Center’s Environment & Society Portal here. 

All images © Darren Burkey. Click images to enlarge.