Ever wondered what a zebra duiker looks? What about a peacock parachute spider or a kakapo? Look no further than Endangered Creature Alphabet, an illustration project curated by Creaturemag. Inside, 26 artists have each drawn a species on the brink of extinction and, you guessed it, there's one for every letter of the alphabet.
The project is the brainchild of Matt Witt of Creaturemag, who initated things with fellow creatives on Twitter. "Over 100 people expressed interest, I then selected the final 26 illustrators from those. Selection was based on talent, previous experience with drawing creatures, style and medium," says Witt.
He then distributed creature briefs to each illustrator, and the only restriction was to make them as true-to-life as possible. Matt Witt didn't want them coming back looking half human, or cartoony. "It is always a challenge to organise and guide the artists but an absolute joy to see how each illustrator interprets the brief. Each illustration was a lovely surprise. The project took two months from the call to the publication of the ebook," he says.
At the moment, the project's aiming to raise enough money through online donations to have the book printed and once that's done funds raised will go to a wildlife charity. Take a look at the eBook, flick through it to see the wonderful artwork, then make a donation to help them make it happen.
Image credits Kakapo by: http://chrismargerison.co.uk; Northern spotted owl by: http://www.madiillustration.co.uk; Xinjiang ground jay by: http://www.tommoore.eu; Yellow spotted salamander by: http://www.tiaeastwood.blogspot.com
