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Animal art to inspire your Wild Escape creations

Joseph Wolf, Inquisitive Neighbours, C19th, Nature in Art, Bequeathed by Bernard Heine with Art Fund support, 2022

We've found these creatures hiding in museums across the UK. Pick your favourite to draw, send it in to The Wild Escape, and watch it come to life!

If you haven't joined The Wild Escape yet, it's not too late to get involved.

Over the past few months, young people across the UK have been finding animals in museums and making art inspired by them.

Starting from Earth Day 2023, all your creature creations will be coming to life in their new home: The Wild World. It's an epic-scale digital artwork, created by thousands of children, families and schools; a habitat full of biodiversity and imagination.

There are lots of special events taking place in museums and galleries across Earth Day weekend (22-23 April), which you can go along to and find an animal to draw, paint or collage.

If you can't find an event local to you, don't worry, you can still take part. We've found some creatures hiding in museum collections to inspire your art. Meet them below...

Why not pick your favourite, make your picture, and send it in to The Wild World? Here's how to send in your creature.

Why not try drawing one of these creatures?

01
Edwin Landseer, The Monarch of the Glen, 1851, National Galleries of Scotland, Art Funded 2016

The Monarch of the Glen

Have you seen this deer before? He’s very famous. This picture was painted around the year 1851, by the artist Edwin Landseer. Showing a majestic stag looking out over the landscape, it reminds people of the amazing wildlife found in Scotland’s Highlands.

02
Ann Stokes, Bat Box, 2005, Paisley Museum, Art Funded 2019

Bat Box

Bats are usually hard to spot – but not this clever little pot by the artist Ann Stokes. She takes inspiration from the natural world when making her art, and has made lots of pieces of pottery in the shape of different creatures. What would you make your bat out of?

03
William Morris, Tapestry: The Forest, 1887, Victoria and Albert Museum, Art Funded 1926

William Morris, The Forest

OK, so there aren’t any lions living wild in the UK. (That we know of, at least.) But look closely and you can spot quite a few animals that live in the UK in this tapestry by the artist William Morris. We’ve found a hare. Who else can you see?

04
Staffordshire Pottery, Owl jug, 1690-1700, Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Art Funded 1991

Owl jug

This little ceramic owl is called Ozzy, and he’s one of the stars of the Potteries Museum and Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent. It’s thought he was made between 1670 and 1730 – making him a very wise owl indeed.

05
Michael Roberts, 268 drawings of spiders, 1985-1995, Natural History Museum, Art Funded 2002

Michael Roberts, 268 drawings of spiders

Whether you love creepy crawlies or find them slightly scary, there’s no doubt that insects are crucial to our ecosystem. These delicate drawings by the artist Michael Roberts show different species of spider in beautiful detail.

06
Claude Aubriet, An album of 42 miniatures, 1651-1742, Victoria and Albert Museum, Art Funded 1944

Claude Aubriet, An album of 42 miniatures

We’ve explored the mountains, the forests, the skies and the soil… but what can we find in the sea? This is one of 42 ‘miniature’ studies of nature by the artist Claude Aubriet. Some of the pictures are of flowers and insects, but this one shows off the huge variety of patterns and shapes of shells.

07
René Lalique, Lalique Car Mascot Collection, c1925-35, National Motor Museum, Art Funded 2022

René Lalique, Lalique car mascot collection, perch

This golden fish, made out of glass, once sat on the bonnet of a car. It was designed by the master glassmaker René Lalique, who also made ‘car mascots’ in the shape of lots of other creatures like dragonflies and falcons. This particular fish is a perch, which can be found in rivers, lakes and waterways around the UK.

Please note this is an example card and not a reflection of the final product

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