Everyone’s favourite art challenge is back, and this time, we’re celebrating our wonderful waders (and other shorebirds).

We’re so excited to be partnering with #LokiLovesInktober creator (and our first artist-in-residence) Vanda Cummins AND Wing Threads in what will be our biggest Inktober yet!

Whether you’re a practising artist or have never even picked up a pencil, we want you to join us in a whole month of art and discovery as we celebrate the magic of Wings and Wetlands!

 

Wait, what is Inktober?

Inktober is an annual art challenge to develop positive drawing habits and connect with art-makers across the globe. The challenge is to create art every day in October, in response to daily art prompts. Started by Jake Parker in 2009, Inktober is now followed by thousands of participants every year. Though there is one ‘official’ Inktober prompt list, the challenge has spawned hundreds of spin-off prompt lists, like those created by #LokiLovesInktober.

#LokiLovesInktober is an annual conservation-focused Inktober challenge, run by Loki Loves artist, Vanda Cummins. Each year, #LokiLovesInktober partners with a conservation organisation, and we are proud to have been chosen again this year! We ran our first #LokiLovesInktober with Loki Loves in 2021, focusing on threatened species. Have a look here.

 

And what are shorebirds?

 

 

Shorebirds are magic.

Oh, right, you probably want a bit more information than that. Shorebirds are a group of (mostly) wetland-living birds in the order Charadriiformes. They are (mostly) elegant birds, with long, dainty legs, a short tail and long, pointed wings.

Australia has more than 50 shorebird species. Seventeen of those are resident year round, like the Hooded Plover and Bush Stone-curlew. Australia is also home to 37 species of migratory shorebirds, some of whom journey here from the Arctic Circle and back each year!

All over the world, shorebird populations are rapidly declining in response to habitat destruction, hunting, disturbance, invasive species and climate change. That’s why our friend Milly Formby launched Wing Threads, a flying quest to share the amazing journeys of migratory shorebirds with Australian primary schools and their communities. “Microlight Milly” is a zoologist and artist who learned to fly a microlight just to raise awareness for these special birds. She uses science, art and adventure to foster nature stewardship, and that’s what we’re all about here at Remember The Wild.

Milly has almost completed her two-year Wing Threads: Flight Around Oz and will be joining our Inktober challenge as our resident shorebird expert!

 

 

What’s art got to do with conservation?

For as long as humans have made art, it has played a vital part in how we tell stories and share ideas. Like other forms of storytelling, art moves people and gets us thinking.

This is true not just for the viewer, but for the creator as well.

When viewing art, we might become immersed in the beauty of the work, the skill of the artist and the character of the subject. When that subject is an animal, plant or fungi, the artistic rendition can help us to see the species in a new light and spark our curiosity. We might notice new details we hadn’t noticed in the living animal itself, and even feel more connected to the subject. When we are being bombarded day after day by information and images, an eye-catching piece of art can break through, captivate and engage us.

For the artist, creating art can be a tactile way to learn, understand and interact with a subject. To be able to draw, paint or model something, we have to observe the subject carefully, take in the details and how different pieces fit together. This helps us to consider what we are looking at more closely and with greater curiosity. Many of us learn better when a practical component is involved too!

For both the creator and the viewer, art can be a powerful and empowering tool for conservation and connection.

Give it a go yourself! Join our Wings and Wetlands Inktober challenge to learn through creativity and find out how you can help protect Australia’s incredible shorebirds.

 

So here are the details:

Each day throughout October, #LokiLovesInktober2023 will share a new drawing prompt within the theme “Wings and Wetlands”.

Each week, we will discover a different shorebird habitat, drawing and discussing the birds that live there, what they eat, what their habitat is like, and what challenges they face.

Join us for our weekly art webinars: all-ages drop-in sessions where artists will guide us in drawing a prompt together as scientists explain how we can care for shorebird species in our everyday lives.

• Monday 2nd Oct – Week One Inktober Creative Conversations: Learn and Draw Beach-nesting Shorebirds
• Friday 13th Oct – Week Two Inktober Creative Conversations: Learn and Draw Shorebirds and Estuaries
• Monday 16th Oct – Week Three Inktober Creative Conversations: Learn and Draw Shorebirds in Broome
• Sunday 29th Oct – Week Four Inktober Creative Conversations: Learn and Draw Shorebirds in the Arctic Tundra

The Remember The Wild, Wing Threads and Loki Loves teams will all be sharing their artworks on socials, and we invite you to do the same, or add them to the online gallery below!

This challenge is open to all ages and all levels of ability. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn about art and nature in just one month of practise!

Want to join in early so you get to know the prompt list first? Sign up to #LokiLovesInktober’s Art Challenge and you’ll get extra resources, alerts and early access to the prompts!