Bev Doolittle
A Master of Camouflage
Beverly Doolittle
• Born in 1947
• Born in California
• Graduated in Graphic
Design in 1968 at Art
Center College of Design
in Los Angeles
• Now she and her
husband live
in Utah
• Doolittle spent 5 years as an Art
Director at a Los Angeles, CA ad
agency.
• She and her husband decided to
leave the graphic design world to be
travelling artists.
• She mostly paints in watercolor and
acrylics, but once again the
foundation of her skill is in drawing.
• She loved painting and drawing
horses. One project she worked on
included horses in a forest. She
didn’t like how the background
looked so she painted rocks behind
the horses and had an epiphany.
• She loved how the rocks were able
to camouflage the horse and played
with that concept. It was very
popular and she expanded the idea
further and further.
Building Nature and History into her Work
Native Americans respected the buffalo. They used every part when they hunted
them. This piece tells a story. The reflection of the rocks show the memory of
the buffalo and the special connection the Native Americans have to nature.
Recognizing the Magic in Nature
Bev Doolittle is a master
of guiding your eye.
Where do you think the
bear is?
Hide and Seek.
Finding the Faces
• Combining her new found
inspiration of camouflage in
nature with her interest in the
American Southwest she created
amazing pieces
• Doolittle is a visual storyteller
• Details of her art can be seen in
more than one way
• She is one of the most collected
artists in the United States
In her words…
“I love nature,” she says. “I try to look beyond the
obvious and create unique, meaningful paintings
depicting our Western wilderness and its
inhabitants. I start with a concept and attempt to
convey it through strong design coupled with
detailed realism. I want people to think when they
look at my paintings.”
- Bev Doolittle
Camouflage in Nature
Camouflage keeps an animal hidden either from its predator or prey, either way it’s a
tool nature uses for survival.
Camouflage in Nature
Camouflage can also trick predators.
Like this caterpillar below. Or these moths.
All in the line of survival…
Hiding the Butterfly
Core Elements of
Art Covered:
1) Patterns
2) Line Weight
3) Repetition
Step One:
Write your name on
your paper
Step Two and Three:
Draw the body of the butterfly. Note that any patterns
you choose in the butterfly will be repeated outside of
the butterfly.
Steps Four through Six:
Draw the wings of the butterfly to bleed off the page. Draw some butterfly wing shapes
around the butterfly to start the camouflage process. Draw patterns inside the wings of the
butterfly.
Step Seven:
The patterns you’ve drawn
on the butterfly wings and
body, should be repeated
around the butterfly in the
background.
Step Eight:
Trace over the pencil lines with black marker.
Last Step:
Color the butterfly. Repeat
the same colors in the
patterns in the butterfly as
well as the patterns outside
the butterfly.
Practice pressing harder to
outline part of the shape and
lighter inside to create a
difference in value.