Call your garden birds by name
Do you notice the same garden birds in your back yard every day, but only know the sparrows, weavers and swallows? Illustrator Jeanne Hugo van der Merwe, owner of Smartypants Posters, has created a practical (and attractive!) way to make you feel like a bird expert in no time.
“During the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, our family spent most of our time in the garden,” says Jeanne. “We would lie on our backs and stare up at the expanse of branches and sky above us. To my surprise, I didn’t know the names of most of the birds we saw. I wondered how I would teach my sons about our feathered friends if I couldn’t even identify them myself.”
Jeanne is an illustrator and, inspired by the vintage botanical posters of days gone by, she decided to create a watercolour sketch of each bird that visits their garden. Soon she had drawn more than 20 species!
She wants her posters to encourage young and old to spend time outdoors and experience how wonderful it is to know the names of the birds we see in our gardens every day, and to appreciate nature.
“I have now drawn 40 South African garden birds and 12 owls. Do I need to say that I’m now a fully-fledged birdwatching addict? And I’m just as crazy about the birding community.”
These unique works of art make lovely gifts – they are educational, beautiful and affordable.
Jeanne is currently working on a series featuring sea birds, birds of prey, ducks, and strange and enchanting birds of South Africa.
Cost From R480 for two A2 posters (200 gsm paper); R435 for a handmade wooden poster hanger
Contact @studio_coocoo
smartypantsposters.com (Scroll to the bottom of the site to download a free recipe card for garden-bird food.)