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'Drawing From Nature'
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By Carol Felixson
Special to The Times January 4, 2004 Have you ever been awakened at night by a "hoot — hoot — hoot" sound? This i  s the call of a great horned owl —
is one of the largest owl in North
America. It is sometimes called a "cat owl" because it has large tufts
of feathers on its head that look like a cat's ears.Tina, 8, uses feathers instead of paint to illustrate what a great horned owl looks like. Tina learned that "owls sleep during the day and come out at night to hunt for food." She learned too that owls have a large head and large eyes that face forward. They can't move their eyes, so when they want to look around, they have to move their entire head. There are many myths about owls. In some cultures they represent wisdom and can be spiritual guides or healers. In others they are thought to be messengers of illness or death. Tina learned that people all over the world use feathers to make ornaments and decorations, ceremonial objects and costumes, tools and works of art. To make her illustration, she first looked at pictures of great horned owls in a book. She drew a picture of one, then cut some feathers in the sizes she needed. She organized them by color next to her picture. One at a time, she glued the back of a feather and carefully placed it on her drawing using tweezers. Tina made the owl shown here in fanciful colors. She made another in more realistic tones. "I also took a piece of cotton and stretched it out. Then I glued it on the paper and covered it with feathers to make the owl's stomach fat!" she explained. Good job, Tina! About the series: Carol Felixson introduces children to a subject from nature and an art technique. The children then apply what they have learned in an illustration. She is director of education and community outreach for UCLA's Stunt Ranch Reserve and Mathias Botanical Garden. Previous projects can be seen at Stunt Ranch News for Kids. Feb. 1 lesson: wildflowers and mixed media! Kids, click here to find out about the writer and photographer of this series. LISTEN TO THE STORY BY PHONE: You can also follow along as this story is read aloud by calling 1-800 LATIMES, Ext. 4KIDS (1-800 528-4637, Ext. 45437). If the computer is connected to your phone line by modem, you will need to make a print of the story first and shutdown the computer before dialing the number. This story will be available by phone through Jan. 8.
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