Ink and brush
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Using a brush with ink was the first way Laura learnt to paint, and it remains one of her favourite media. She has an incredibly detailed style, and creates lines finer than would be possible with the finest felt-tip pen (0.01mm) with a size 20/0 sable brush. She aims to achieve an artistic representation of her subjects through the use of hatching and stippling. She uses archival black acrylic inks and Canson drawing papers.
Dainty green tree frog (Litoria gracilenta). Black ink on Canson drawing paper. 20 × 16 cm. Frogs are in the midst of a mass extinction crisis - they are the most endangered vertebrate class of animals.
Great egrets and nestling (Ardea alba). Black acrylic ink on Canson drawing paper. 24 × 32 cm. Great egrets are graceful if somewhat ungainly creatures - their long legs, long S-shaped necks and long beaks seem disproportionate to their body size. The nestlings in particular seem to be all beak and straggly feathers!
Barn owl with prey (Tyto alba). Black ink on Canson drawing paper. 10 × 10 cm. It's not uncommon to find barn owls hunting at night by the roadside, or flying on silent wings low overhead searching for prey. They are deceptively gentle creatures - belied only by their sharp talons and strong beak.
Butterfly on orchid. Black ink on Canson drawing paper. 12 × 10 cm. Invertebrates (including insects such as moths) lead fascinating but short lives, often with a burst of magnificent beauty towards the end after their metamorphosis from larval stages. Butterflies are a triumph of the magic of the natural world.
Short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus). Black ink and pencil on Canson drawing paper. 20 × 12 cm. It's hard to imagine ears and a tail under all those spines, but echidnas do have them! I've watched wild echidnas walk around in a full 3m diameter circle right in front of me, completely oblivious to my presence - no doubt looking for something tasty!
Feather-tailed gliders (Acrobates pygmaeus). Black ink on Canson drawing paper. 20 × 12 cm. Feather-tailed gliders are some of the most adorable little creatures - they are tiny, and fit in the palm of your hand. I will always remember being introduced to the litter of babies during some time spent in the zoo - the babies were just like tiny pink jellybeans!
Laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae). Black ink on Canson drawing paper. 8 × 8 cm. Laughing kookaburras are quite distinctly different from their more northerly counterparts, the blue-winged kookaburra. Their eyes are a deep rich brown, their wings seldom as blue, and their calls while cackling are less manic.
Platypus baby, platypup or puggle? (Ornithorhynchus anatinus). Black ink on Canson drawing paper. 20 × 14 cm. There is still contention over the naming of these adorable little monotreme babies, and in fact, the species itself created confusion when first discovered - bill of a duck, a beaver's tail, with otter-like feet, it lays eggs and is venomous!