Hi everyone! I’m Joris (@jorisderaedt), a scientific illustrator, graphic designer and wildlife artist from Belgium. I’m very honoured to be this week’s guest editor at @unbiodiversity Over the last ten years I’ve worked full time as an illustrator, primarily for nature reserves, books and magazines. Fieldwork is a very important aspect in the making of an accurate illustration of a species. Seeing the subjects in their natural habitat is often the very first step. Keeping a nature journal with field sketches helps me get familiar with the character of the species and makes it easier to capture its essence in the final illustration. While looking through a spotting scope I make (visual) notes of the animals I’m studying. Visiting a new country is very exciting, but going to a continent you’ve never been to is simply thrilling. About every species you see is a new one. Last winter I spend a few weeks in Calgary and the Rocky Mountains, Canada. Here are some of the studies I made during my fieldtrip. Stay tuned for more field and studio work of a variety of projects, visualizing species from different parts of the world.

Illustrations by @jorisderaedt. One of the biggest projects I worked on in the last years was a series of identification illustrations of African species. A dream come true as this continent has so many natural wonders to study and visualize. I was lucky to have been able to do several excursions to Africa as a kid and had many unforgettable experiences. Sitting on top of a car with a lion under a bush only meters away in the Kalahari Desert makes a big impression for example! I believe moments like this can create the spark that will influence us later in life when choosing our paths. It certainly was the case for me! I hope my work can inspire new generations to come as well.

Made a little aftermovie of my fieldtrip for #globalbigday / #worldmigratorybirdday last weekend. I had such a fun day and couldn't resist the latest Wes Anderson trend. Will you join the @thesketchybirders team next year?!

Yellow-billed Kingfisher! A lifer for me as I missed it last time I was here. Such a beautiful bird! I hope I'll get to see them building a nest as well. They do this in an arboreal termite nest which they crash into to crack the hard shell! Must be a spectacular thing to see 🤞🏻 Have you been out for #globalbirdweekend ? Check out the work of other artists @thesketchybirders what they've been doing. Subscribe to my mailinglist ✉️ in bio to never miss out on updates 🙏🏻

It's #globalbirdweekend again and I spend the day making studies of the Eclectus Parrots in Iron Range NP. I made a hide at a nest side and observed and sketched them for hours 🦜✍🏻 So happy to be part of @thesketchybirders team again! Are you getting out in the field this weekend? 📩 If you haven't already, you can get on my mailinglist in bio for early access on print runs and updates of my current projects and book releases.

Found a Large-tailed Nightjar on eggs 😍 Hopefully I get to see the chicks later on! Subscribe to my mailinglist in my bio to never miss any updates 👆

Thanks so much to everyone how got a Cassowary print! This means a lot to me! 📩 If you missed out on this time-limited release, make sure to subscribe to my mailinglist (in bio) so you don’t miss my next print drops.

Thank you to everyone who has supported my work by buying a print, or commenting and following my work!!! If you would like to grab one of the few remaining prints from this drop, you have until tomorrow. Link-in-bio ☝☝☝

There are still some prints available in my webshop - See link in bio 👆 Exploring and sharing our planet’s natural wonders is my biggest passion. I can’t thank you enough for all your support and making it possible for me to do what I love! The Southern Cassowary is one of the most spectacular birds of Australia and they are in need of our protection. Cassowaries are frugivores and eat fruit that has fallen to the rainforest floor. The birds are considered ‘keystone’ species because of their role as a major seed disperser of up to 238 rainforest species. Without cassowaries, those rainforests would not be able to survive. Habitat loss is one of the main threats to these endangered birds. More than 80 percent of coastal lowland rainforest, which is the cassowary’s prime habitat, has been cleared over the past century. Nearly a quarter of the cassowary habitat that remains has poor conservation protection. Mostly for sugar cane and cattle. Many people think they will help the Cassowaries by feeding them. This is a bad idea however. They will get used to people which leads to more roadkills and dog attacks. In some places these birds can become very used to people if they know they can find an easy meal. I saw a big female on a campsite taking over the picknick of a family that was having lunch. As these birds can be very dangerous if you don’t give them anything, most people just let the bird have whatever snack it wants. Did you know that the head colours of these birds intensify when agitated? If you notice this and the birds takes on a tall standing posture, it’s time to back down! Thanks again for your support and following of my journey! Nature is an endless source of inspiration and always somewhere to find around us. Enjoy it!

🙏🏻😊 Thanks so much to everyone that already ordered a Cassowary print!! Here are some pictures of the Cassowary that is still available until the 10th of October on my webshop. 🦖✍🏻 You can find the link to the prints in my bio.

I find it very important to study my subject in the field. This way you get to know their characters, typical behaviour, learn about their habitat and what they feed on. These experiences are my main sources of inspiration on how to actually visualise the species in the studio pieces. When making sketches of an animal, I usually start with some details. Mostly the heads to try and capture their expressions (see previous posts). Once you get these right you can go to quick studies of the entire bird. Afterwards I proceed with quite watercolour studies of the cassowary. I’ve made these sketches directly in watercolour without doing any graphite sketches as guidance. These are good to get to know the colour pallet of the bird. The final step is making the actual illustrations in the studio. ☝️ Only 4 days left to get your print - link in BIO ☝️

My TIME-LIMITED print release is now LIVE and runs thru Tuesday October 10th or until sold out. Link in Bio☝️☝️☝️ My printing company is 100% carbon neutral and all of our packaging is environmentally friendly. They offer worldwide shipping. Thanks so much to all the followers on my mailinglist that already ordered their print - I couldn’t do this without you! – Joris