Get Creative Outdoors is a campaign and festival that invites people to try something creative in the open air. It’s supported by the BBC and a dynamic group of cultural and environmental organisations from across the UK, and runs from July to September 2021.

Last Chance to Paint
UK Wildlife

971 (13%) of the 7615 species found in England, that have been assessed, are currently threatened with extinction from Great Britain

UK wildlife plays a vital role in the maintenance of soil health, pollination, and other essential ecosystem services on which we all rely.

Wildlife around the world is under threat due to human actions, including habitat destruction, pollution, human-wildlife conflict, a growing population and climate change.

We are encouraging you to go outside into your garden, park, beach or local nature reserve and see what wildlife you can see and paint. Be it common or rare, each individual is helping to maintain the environment for the benefit of us all.

“I love painting seagulls, they are so fun, quirky, comical and add a sense of scale and space to my paintings. I paint the essence of the seagull, the basic elements and celebrate nature in this way. Herring gulls are fantastic birds and have quite a reputation, but did you know that their nesting sites have disappeared, our seas have been depleted of fish, and food sources have dwindled. These gulls, once so ubiquitous, so noisily present, are now on the Red List of threatened species”

John Dyer

We want children and adults to go outside and get creative by painting UK wildlife.

Western European Hedgehog

UK Population: Vulnerable – Around 500,000
Hedgehogs, thus named for the fact that they forage around hedges and other shrubs and wild areas while making snuffling and grunting noises. These small, nocturnal, carnivorous mammals will eat insects, worms, centipedes and snails, occasionally also taking larger prey. They live across a broad range of habitats and can even thrive in urban gardens. Despite this, their numbers have declines by at least 46% over 13 years due to habitat loss and roads, amongst other threats.

Image: Pixabay.com

European Herring Gull

UK Population: Red listed - 140,000 breeding pairs
Herring gulls are extremely intelligent, which is why they have adapted so well to live alongside humans. As well as our coastlines, they can now be found inland around rubbish tips, fields, large reservoirs and lakes, especially during winter. As opportunistic omnivores, herring gulls can eat a huge variety of different foods including the eggs and young of other birds, earthworms, fish, crustaceans and even our leftovers. Herring gull populations in the UK have declined by 50% in 25 years, despite an increase in their numbers in urban areas. This is due to overfishing, climate change and illegal persecution of the species.

Did you know?
There is no such thing as a seagull. It’s just a commonly used, informal term to describe all species of gulls.

Image: Pixabay.com

Eurasian Blackbird

UK Population: Green listed - 5,100,000 breeding pairs
Despite their name, it is only the male blackbird that has black feathers, and are recognisable from their characteristic yellow beak and ring around their eye. Females and juveniles are brown, often with spots and streaks on their fronts and a dark beak. Blackbirds are omnivores, feeding on insects, seeds and fruit. They are especially fond of feeding in lawns and can be seen foraging for insects amongst the grass. Even if you don’t see a blackbird, you are likely to hear its loud melodious call. You can support blackbirds and other wildlife species by allowing part of your lawn to grow, cutting only a few times a year, and leaving areas of your garden to ‘go wild’.

Did you know?
Blackbirds love to sunbathe! You might have seen them stretched out in the sunshine in your garden.

Image: Pixabay.com

Large White Butterfly

UK Population: Common – Exact numbers unknown
Along with the small white butterfly, large whites are often referred to as cabbage white butterflies. This is due to their fondness for laying their eggs on brassicas, including cabbage, broccoli and sprouts. These then become food plants for the growing caterpillars, which are brightly coloured to warn predators away. Adult butterflies are regular visitors to gardens, and can be seen between April and October in the UK.

Did you know?
The life of an adult butterfly is very short. Large white butterflies in their adult form only live for around three weeks!

Image: Pixabay.com

House Sparrow

UK Population: Red listed - 5,300,000 breeding pairs
House sparrows are common in UK gardens and can often be seen on seed feeders and hopping amongst hedgerows, looking for insects. They are very sociable birds and will often live together in small flocks, making plenty of noise, calling to each other as they go about their daily business. Males can be distinguished from females by their black bib and grey and chestnut crown. House sparrows are the most abundant bird on the entire planet. Despite this, in the UK, the house sparrow population dropped by as much as 71% between 1977 and 2008 with substantial declines in both rural and urban populations. Their numbers are still falling today due to habitat loss, increased use of pesticides, changing building practices which reduce possible nesting sites and predation, including by domestic cats.

Did you know?
House sparrows are originally native to Europe and Asia, but they have now colonised every continent except Antarctica.

Image: Pixabay.com

Black-legged Kittiwake

UK Population: Red listed - 380,000 breeding pairs
Often mistaken for the larger herring gull, kittiwakes are much smaller and daintier birds. They are known for their shrill call, 'kittee-wa-aaake, kitte-wa-aaake', which gave them their name. Kittiwakes are fish-eating specialists and catch their prey whilst on the wing, or sitting on top of the water. They spend much of the year out to sea, except the nesting season, when they raise their chicks on sheer coastal cliffs. Since the 1970s, it’s believed that the global population of black-legged kittiwake has declined of about 40% making them globally vulnerable to extinction. Threats include overfishing and climate change, both of which affect their main source of prey, the sand eel.

© Annelie Turner, Unsplash

Why?

Where & What do I paint?

We spend a lot of time talking about rainforests, oceans, plastic waste, climate change and biodiversity loss and it can all seem rather remote and potentially disconnected to the United Kingdom, but sadly the state of our own wildlife and natural habit is in crisis too. We want to celebrate what we still have and to encourage you all to engage with the issues at home as well as abroad. Many of our species are now endangered with many on the red list.

Red is the highest regional conservation priority, with species needing urgent action.

Species is globally threatened.
Historical population decline in UK during 1800–1995.
Severe (at least 50%) decline in UK breeding population over last 25 years, or longer-term period (the entire period used for assessments since the first Birds of Conservation Concern review, starting in 1969).
Severe (at least 50%) contraction of UK breeding range over last 25 years, or the longer-term period.

Everywhere! Wildlife is all around us, you can spot insects, birds and butterflies and study them wherever you are. If you have driven anywhere recently you might have noticed how few insects there are nowadays on the car's windscreen in the summer, insects are in crisis and this risks breaking the food chain. We need to really start to respond to the climate and biodiversity crisis in our own back yard and this 'Get Creative' activity aims to raise awareness by focusing on our amazing wildlife. You can paint from life or from photographs. The animals and birds we have listed above are some great examples you could study, draw and paint.

John Dyer's Top Art Tips

"You can do a beautiful study drawing or painting, but you can also do as I do and aim to capture the essence of your subject within its habitat. Look at the main elements that really define your subject, I have managed to really simplify seagulls and I take this approach with all the wildlife I paint. In the painting below 'Sea Holly and Skylarks, Holywell Bay' I have included a lot of wildlife that I love, seagulls, skylarks, moths and butterflies. All of this is set within the theatre of the landscape. This is my approach to creating art that not only represents what my subject looks like, but what I feel about it too."
John Dyer.

Watch a short video of John painting a pair of macaws, as part of Born Free’s first school webinar, to give you an idea how he builds his paintings. Starting with the background, then adding the main blocks of colour and finally adding in the details – allowing the painting to dry between each layer.

"There is an innocence and freshness to John Dyer's art that follows a tradition in Cornwall that includes the work of Alfred Wallis, Christopher Wood, Fred Yates and Bryan Pearce. Rather than trying to record what he sees, John sets out to capture the 'essence' of his subject. The 'essence' of seagulls, cats, dogs, bobbing boats, or exploding fireworks communicate far more strongly through John's brushstrokes than they would if drawn more traditionally." Director of Falmouth Art Gallery.

Share your Art

Let's show the world your art and your connection to the natural world. Please post your finished paintings on social media for the world to see and link us in so we can share your creations too.

Born Free

Facebook: @bornfreefoundation
Twitter: @BornFreeFDN

Instagram: @bornfreefoundation

Last Chance to Paint

Facebook: @lastchancetopaint

Twitter: @lastchancepaint

Instagram: @lastchancetopaint