On Sunday 15th October we were treated to a fabulous workshop by Cath Hodsman, self taught Wildlife and Natural- History Artist.
Cath was a very well informed and enthusiastic tutor. She described the day as ‘…not a traditional workshop…’ as her aim was to help us understand more about the natural world, especially the role played by insects ‘….the largest group of animals in the world…’.
Cath was full of such information as the fact the aphids ‘…are born pregnant and the babies they have are also pregnant…’ no wonder there are so many of them! But that there are also many predators for aphids so there is little need to use pesticides which also kill ‘…necessary..’ insects and animals.
Cath had many good tips and information when we got down to painting -‘….life is too short to mix colours!…’ and so will use a ready made black, when necessary.
About brushes: Cath favours ‘small, short, pointed, round brushes’ that don’t hold too much water. And she will use coloured pencils, graphite and titanium white watercolour paint to achieve the effects she’s striving for.
There were also tips on how to preserve specimens – several weeks on a sunny windowsill on kitchen paper to dry out any bodily fluids (!), followed by about 6 days in an airtight container in the freezer to kill any remaining parasites, then the specimen is best kept in a dry, dark, airtight container on kitchen towel with some essential oil to prevent other animals eating your specimen.
Overall, it was an excellent workshop, full of good information presented in a warm and humorous manner. Hopefully, we will have her back again soon!