Join wildlife artist David N. Kitler and learn his process for capturing accurate likenesses in the wild or in the studio. 

David has developed a straightforward method for observing and conveying the information critical to successful drawing.

Learn to see basic shapes, locate important value shifts, understand the role of different pencil grades, create depth, and so much more. David combines these skills to help you develop a center of interest and to lead the viewers eye around your composition. David reviews basic concepts and then demonstrates the entire process by completing a lifelike, fully textured drawing of a ground squirrel.

AUDIO INTERVIEW: Listen to an audio interview with David Kitler. The video is overlayed with images from our filming sessions with David, his notebooks and a gallery of his artwork.

Read a terrific article about David Kitler from Wildlife Art Magazine (pdf).

About Artist David Kitler

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, David's appreciation of nature began in his youth, as he explored the Canadian outdoors. Once he realized that the whole world was only a plane trip away, David embarked on longer reference gathering trips to places such as Kenya, Tanzania, Nepal, India, Brazil, Panama, and Costa Rica, as well as through most of the U.S.A. and Alaska. In the meantime, David taught himself to draw and paint, experimenting with a variety of media and techniques.

Because of his love of wildlife, David had initially geared his education towards becoming a veterinarian, believing that art could only be treated as a hobby. Still, while growing up, David received support and encouragement from his mother, who sometimes allowed him to stay up late on school nights so he could finish a drawing. David still vividly remembers one of the last things his mother ever said to him: "Don't let anyone ever tell you that you are not an artist. "Unfortunately soon after, at the age of 17, David lost that source of support in a tragic manner, when David's mother was killed by his father. This terrible event impacted David's life, and that of his four younger siblings, in immeasurable ways. Introduced abruptly into the adult world, David had to find ways to support himself and secure his future, so he gave up his dream of attending university, and started work at a local factory.

Soon, however, David's sketches and paintings, which he continued to work on whenever he had a free moment, began to garner attention, opening a door to a world he had not known existed. It was then that he decided to pursue a degree in art, hoping this would further demonstrate his professional commitment and enhance his credibility. Fending for himself, David overcame incredible odds and eventually graduated with honors from the Ontario College of Art.

David's paintings have quickly gained recognition, and are part of corporate and private collections the world over. David is a member of the prestigious Society of Animal Artists and the Artists for Conservation Foundation (formerly Worldwide Nature Artists Group), and has been invited to exhibit in some of North America's major art shows, where he has received a number of Best of Show and Excellence awards. As a beginner