My work explores the blending of anatomical accuracy and the beauty of animals with a little sparkle of mischief; the way an animal tilts its head, focuses its eyes, or how it leans into the pose. Through a daily practice of quick, gesture sketching, I focus on the Verb and Adjective of the pose in order to clarify the action of the animal subject. When sketching, I use ink brush pens so that I commit to the lines. The flexibility of the brush pen allows me to illustrate energy and motion while keeping me in-the-moment. This energy is translated to my acrylic paintings where I use color relationships to accentuate the feelings and emotions of the animals. Engaging with my work is a chance to see your own emotions through the lives of animals.
Charlotte Belland, B.F.A., M.F.A, is an illustrator, animator and educator who specializes in animal gesture drawing. Chair and Professor of Animation at Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD), Charlotte established an on-campus animal ambassador sketching program that creates a jubilant and respectful space for artists of all ages to sketch animals close-up. From wolves, to miniature horses, to insects, to a variety of birds, artists can see comparative anatomy in-action. Charlotte’s animal illustrations have been part of Art Pop Street Gallery (Class of 2019) and was recently featured in a solo show at the Ohio Art League’s Gateway to the Arts at the John Glenn International Airport. Expanding her work to 3D, Charlotte created a herd of zebras that were 3D printed in “color” and exhibited at the S. Dot Gallery in Columbus Ohio. She collaborated with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on a class that taught students how to make cardboard enrichment for the health and wellbeing of the animals. Charlotte has presented at SIGGRAPH, LightBox Expo, co-presented at the Biggest Week in American Birding, and co-taught drawing at the Wild Wonder Foundation Hog Island Audubon Nature Journaling Retreat. In 2023, Charlotte created and hosted Birds Inspire, a multi-day event that featured birding experts, accomplished avian illustrators, and celebrated one of the co-founders of Black Birding Week. As part of her 2024 CCAD Faculty Sabbatical, Charlotte recently self-published “Draw All the Animals,” a how-to book that she needed when she was a young artist.