LINDA
BESTER

ABOUT LINDA:

Linda’s hats define her art. Her illustrations are inspired by: her children (mother hat); her formal education in ecology (ecologist hat); her Honours degree in mycology (mycologist hat); her teaching background (teacher hat); and her publishing experience (publisher hat).

When planning out her artworks, she focuses on grabbing the viewers’ attention, so that they may learn something about the species at hand. That is, if they like the artwork, they might read the title and description, which outlines the scientific name, common name, and information about the species attributes and ecological requirements. She hopes to inspire new generations of people in scientific fields.

Linda’s illustrations aim to be more scientific than creative. As such she leaves the background of each piece blank to maintain the focus on the organism. She aims for realism and morphological accuracy, and seeks support from scientists who have expert knowledge in the species at hand when required.

Linda is a traditionalist who never uses digital technologies for creating her illustrations. She chooses to use paints and/or coloured pencils based on the subject, and 100% cotton, hot pressed archival paper.

She illustrates nature both at home and at the Healesville Sanctuary Harvest Cafe, which helps to inspire her nature-based creativity. These artworks have a strong focus on threatened species, and are completed using a mix of high quality coloured pencils and paints, to teach the public about their plight.

Medium: pencil, watercolour,
Tags: wildlife, ecology, scientifically accurate