January 2025 rolled in with its long, dark evenings - not exactly the season for evening walks or birdwatching. Wanting to stay connected to nature somehow, so I turned to the next best thing: creating it through art.
After a year spent photographing birds on my travels, I had plenty of inspiration on my camera roll. I listed about fifty British passerines and began illustrating them in Procreate on my iPad. For a few evenings each week, I'd choose a good album as my soundtrack and began sketching, shading, and slowly bringing each bird to life. It became a small ritual that kept me grounded through the quieter months.
I’ve always loved the charm of vintage matchbox art and Mid-Century stamp design and their simple shapes, bold colour, and texture that feels handmade. Lately, I’ve also been drawn to the work of Paxton Chadwick, whose 1960s wildlife illustrations for Penguin nature guides have this beautiful, expressive quality.
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Using only the 4B pencil brush, I built up each bird illustration with layered texture and tone (you can catch a few timelapses on my Instagram). Unlike last year’s Coastal Birds series, which used just four colours, this time I went all in! from the bright blues of blue tits to the golden flashes of goldfinches and the russet tones of stonechats. Inspired by the mid century aesthetic, I framed each bird within subtle “perforations,” giving the series a nostalgic, collectible feel.
The result is the Songbirds 2026 Calendar - a 26-page celebration of Britain’s favourite birds, complete with a bonus month for January 2027 featuring a magpie (not necessarily known for its ‘song’, but certainly full of vocal character!).
It’s available in my shop until Christmas 2025, alongside a set of six greeting cards. The perfect gift for bird lovers, art fans, or anyone who wants to bring a little bit of nature indoors this winter and into next year.
I hope you enjoy it,
Dario
