John James Audubon, who lived from 1785 to 1651, was one of America’s first wildlife artists. He is famous for the paintings in his book, Birds of America.
Learn more in the KidsArt Audubon for Kids book. This 14 page teaching unit is filled with Audubon stories, paintings and art activities for kids. Purchase for $3.99 and download on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/listing/4436248947/kidsart-audubon-for-kids
Audubon’s paintings of birds were incredibly detailed, realistic scenes. This dramatic painting called “Mocking Birds” shows a rattlesnake, winding it’s body up into a tree to eat some tasty eggs while mockingbirds dart through the air, defending their nest.
KidsArt has carefully traced Audubon’s painting so you can try your hand at coloring the scene. Click the drawing for a pdf you can print.
Realism is a style of art where the artist tries to make a picture that is as true to life as possible. Audubon painted birds exactly as they were, down to the smallest feathers and details. He set them in the natural landscapes where they actually lived. John James Audubon’s bird realism set a new standard in the art world.
Use colored pencils or marker pens to color the picture. If you print on heavy paper, you can use watercolor paints. You can explore realism by making the your colors the same as Audubon used in his painting. You can even look online for photos of Northern Mockingbird, Timber Rattlesnake, and the flowering Florida jessamine bush to see if Audubon captured their colors correctly back in the time when photographs had not yet been invented.
Or use colors that you make up yourself! Maybe rainbow birds. Maybe a bright red snake in a blue leaf tree. Realism is only one type of art, and it is perfectly OK to create pictures that are completely different than real life.