Make It
What can we learn from closely observing nature?
Introduction
Artists around the world have long looked to nature for inspiration, information, or delight. Before the invention of cameras, printers, copiers, and the internet, drawing was essential to the visual communication of information. Particularly in the field of science, biological knowledge was dependent on drawings and the artists who illustrated biological processes and concepts. Take for example these paintings on paper by Sheikh Zain al-Din, a Muslim painter trained in the Mughal artistic tradition.
These paintings were part of a set commissioned by Lady Mary Impey between 1777 and 1782. She and her husband, Lord Elijah Impey, moved to India when Lord Impey was appointed chief justice of the new Supreme Court of Calcutta in 1772. Fascinated by Indian flora and fauna, Lord and Lady Impey collected a private menagerie—a collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition—at their home in Calcutta. Lady Impey commissioned three Indian artists to paint this collection, one of whom was Sheikh Zain al-Din. The level of detail and lively quality of the paintings suggest they were painted from life.
"Company Paintings"
Zain al-Din’s paintings of birds show a blending of influences, from Mughal miniature paintings to European natural history paintings and botanical illustrations. In keeping with British ornithology practices, he used watercolors and adapted the scale of the birds to fit larger-format English paper. He also employed elements of British natural history watercolor traditions by setting the birds and plants against a white background and annotating the sheet with the animal genus and species.
These paintings belong to a genre known as “Company” paintings, which became popular when Europeans moved to India to do business with the British East India Company and other trading companies in the 1700s and 1800s. Calcutta was the artistic center for this type of painting, and Lord and Lady Impey were among many enthusiastic English patrons who hired local painters to produce these documentary images, which reflected the colonial fascination with what they considered the “new” and “exotic”. Zain al-Din’s birds represent the meeting of British imperialism, Western science, European economies, and Asian art.
Try It!
Choose a plant or an animal native to your local biome and practice drawing and sketching it. You can bring different specimens into the classroom for students to observe and draw from life, or take your sketching outside and draw what you find in nature. Drawing from detailed, high-resolution photos is also a great alternative. You can assign different members within your class to try sketching from a scientist’s perspective and assign some participants to draw from an artist’s perspective, or let everyone try both to compare. Ask your “scientists” what their scientific illustrations will include. How will they keep in mind accuracy and precision? How will the “artists” approach their drawings? After everyone is done, have members of both groups reflect on their thinking and drawing processes. Record their observations in a Venn diagram in order to compare the two perspectives and what was shared between both experiences.
Time: 30 min. or up to 2 class periods
Materials: Paper, drawing and coloring utensils, clipboard or hard surface to draw on, examples of natural specimens available to you
Guiding Question:
In what ways is scientific drawing distinct from artistic drawing?
Do It!
Create an album of nature drawings. You can bring some examples of plants, animals, and natural materials into the classroom or go outside for a nature walk. Practice close looking; take time to notice details. You can sketch in pencil or colored pencil, first capturing larger shapes, and then homing in on smaller components. Continue reworking your drawings to incorporate more details, textures, and colors. Also consider scale—is the object of your drawings something you can sketch in life size, or do you have to adjust the scale so that it can fit on the page? Share individual drawings or entire albums of drawings among classmates.
Time: 1 to 3 class periods
Materials: Paper, drawing and coloring utensils, clipboard or hard surface to work on, examples of natural specimens available to you
Guiding Question:
Can you sketch your specimen in life size, or do you have to adjust the scale so that it can fit on the page?
Make It Yours!
Design Challenge
Design that mimics biological entities and processes is called “biomimicry.” Build something by looking to nature to provide inspiration for an innovative design solution! Follow the design-thinking process below as outlined in this lesson, “What is the connection between design-thinking and art?”
Time: 3 or more class periods
Design-Thinking Process
- 1
Empathize: Gain some familiarity with the concept of biomimicry by watching this video. Then explore your local biome—go outside and identify the dominant plant and animal species where you are.
- 2
Connect: Brainstorm some design problems that you can identify at home, in your school, or in your neighborhood or community. Or choose an object from your daily life that you want to improve upon. How does it work? How is it made? What does it do? How could it be made better?
- 3
Ideate: In teams, brainstorm pairings of animals/plants and one of the design problems you’ve identified. How can the natural design of the animal or plant you select help inform an innovative design solution to a real-world problem? After coming up with as many ideas as possible, decide within your team which idea you will explore.
- 4
Prototype: Make a rough prototype or sketch.
- 5
Test: Gather all teams and pitch the different design ideas, describing the problem you were trying to solve, which animal/plant you chose as your inspiration, and why. Get feedback from peer reviewers on what worked, and what didn’t. Reflect on your process with this question: “If you were to do this again, what would you do differently, and why?” How might you modify or enhance your process for better results?