Bats often get a bad rap, especially in these current times. I think now is a perfect time to show some love to our little bug-eating, flower pollinating friends and what better way to do so than through nature journaling! As a Biologist, I often turn to drawing as a way to better understand and appreciate different organisms in nature, and I recently took a deep dive into learning and discovering more about bats. Here are a few tips to adding some beautiful bats to your nature journal.
Step 1: Choose a bat reference.
Many people have never had the pleasure of seeing a bat roosting or watching it foraging for its prey. There are many wonderful places throughout the world to view bats as they leave their roosts for the night, some great viewing spots in North America include Bracken Cave Preserve in San Antonio Texas, and the YOLO Bypass in Davis, California. Additionally, some zoos and wildlife centers may also have bats that can serve as great models for your nature journal. But if you cannot venture out at night, I recommend browsing the web or thumbing through your local field guides to find a bat species you would like to learn more about. I like to research local bat species, but they come in all shapes and sizes so I encourage you to choose one that interests you.
Step 2: Bat Anatomy
Bats are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight, and they have evolved some amazing adaptations to support their nocturnal lifestyle. Here are a few diagrams from Encyclopaedia Britannica, inc. to help make sense of what you may be observing on your bat.
Step 3: Block out the basic shape.
Now that you have your bat in mind, start to block out the basic shape. I chose a Mexican free-tailed bat as my reference, using several photos from online sources. I used a non-photo blue pencil to lightly block out the general shape of my bat, but you can also do this lightly in pencil. Pay attention to proportions: how big is the head compared to the body, how big are the ears in proportion to the body, etc. Bats tend to have bulky chests due to the flight muscles.
Step 4: Block in detail
Using the same light touch, I start to carve out the outline of each feature making sure to step back and be mindful of proportions and where features line up and connect. As you draw in these details begin to ask yourself questions about the species; what is the reason for their nose shape, why are the ears shaped that way, where do they roost, etc. Drawing a nice picture is fun, but asking questions helps nurture curiosity and can lead to some fun discoveries along the way.
Step 5: Outline
Once you are happy with the placement of your lines and proportions, go over your work with a darker pencil. You can stop here with your drawing or take it further by adding color. I like to use watercolor to fill in my work, so I use a Micron 005 to outline my drawings.
Step 6: Add color
I use Winsor Newton and Daniel Smith watercolors to build color on my bat from the lightest tones to the darkest. My bat had brown and purple tones which I tried to reflect by building up the layers.
I started by adding a light pink base to the skin-areas.
Next I added in the lightest brown tones in the fur.
I then dropped in some of the darker brown tones to the fur and darker blue-purple tones to the skin to create the shadows.
Finally, I added some warmer mid tone brown colors to balance the contrast, adding some dashed strokes to create a slight fur texture.
Hopefully this tutorial has inspired you to try your hand at drawing one of these fascinating little mammals. I also hope this exercise will help you appreciate your local bats a little more and show that they are not just a mysterious and spooky creature, but rather an important part of our local ecosystems.
Find more of Lora’s work on her website and on Instagram @loraroameart.