The Czech Republic has no sea and no puffins. Being born in Prague I’ve lived almost 30 years without knowing what a puffin is.
The very first time I heard about puffins was when I was asked to draw one for a charity auction. Lots of writers and illustrators did a drawing of a puffin. The drawings were auctioned and the raised money was used for the protection of these beautiful, interesting and rapidly disappearing birds.
This was my very first drawing of a puffin.
I’ve enjoyed drawing puffins ever since.
A couple of years later I wrote and illustrated a picture book called ‘Puffin Peter’.
The book was published in 2011.
Today I am drawing and painting puffins once again.
This time the book is written by the excellent writer and conservation biologist Martin Jenkins. Here are some of the finished illustrations.
I love working on the book. I’ve learned a lot about puffins I didn’t know.
The illustrations for this book are a bit more realistic than I am use to doing but that is part of the fun. I like a challenge.
The birds are arriving in the mist of the morning.There are quite a few of them.
And who is on this picture?
It is a little puffin chick leaving his nest for the very first time.
In the dark of the night of course.