Barred Owl initially published in Western Birds, Vol. 5, No. 4, 1974
I began drawing wildlife while in high school. In 1963 my family moved to Denver, CO. I had been sketching hot rods up to that time and it was during a two week "we'll leave the motel when we find a place" period that I found I enjoyed drawing birds.
The motel was near the Denver Museum of Natural History. I spent those two weeks exploring that museum. One day I decided to draw one of the displays. It turned out so good my father bought me a sketch pad and pencils and said, "if you're going to draw keep a record." Despite everything else he was or wasn't, at least he understood what record keeping was.
During an eleven month "assignment" on the DMZ in Korea I realized I could draw birds and have them look like a bird. Here is sample of some illustrations. Raptors have always been my favorite, perhaps because I've seen so many in the plains of Kansas or the foothills of the Rockies.
Barred Owl initially published in Western Birds, Vol. 5, No. 4, 1974
Bald Eagle, stabilo pencil on stipple paper.
Common Egret, brush and ink.
Golden Eagle, felt tip on stipple paper.
Peregrine Chick, pen and ink.
Red-tailed Hawk, pencil.
Red-tailed Hawk, grease pencil on stipple papper.
Have a favorite bird or critter you'd like a portrait of? The artist also creates commissioned works.
Tony Galván is a self-taught artist. He has a certificate in Bird Biology from Cornell Ornithology Lab and is a member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators.
Ivan, the Red-Tailed Hawk, was one of the models for his color portrait series.
For more information and pricing for illustration projects contact the Artist. A broader sample of his work can be seen at Science-Art.com.
