Animals in art

David Shepherd
David shepherd is famous for being a conservationist, however his art work is very well known. Its work on wildlife that I'm most interested in. He has quite a range of styles to his work, from detailed, beautiful oil paintings that fill the page or colorful quick studies of an animal. I've picked a few pieces that I liked the most, and also what I felt could be relevant to my own study. http://www.davidshepherd.org  During a class session we discussed looking at art and thinking about it in different ways, such as; narrative, theme, color schemes, composition, mood or atmosphere. This link has some useful tips for looking at art: http://www.ehow.com/how_5115675_analyze-art.html
Great paintings are a good focal point for visual narratives. I believe this because on image must have enough visual information to describe the event, mood, scene or character/s. Composition has a lot to do with this. E.g. These elephants below are pictured very small across a vast landscape, that looms over them (the mountain in the background). However, the way they blend in with the mist as though they are part of the natural scene around them, gives the impression that they are part of this majesty. 



These images also remind me of some of the extinct animals I have researched. This gives me some inspiration on portraying the creatures in an appealing way that enhances the narrative in the animation.