Digital Art Class

Drawing inspiration from Museum Victoria’s collection, insects offer a stunning array of shapes, colours and textures, perfect for artists and nature lovers alike. From the rainbow colouration of the Madagascan Sunset Moth to the iridescent beauty of the Jewel Beetle, these specimens tell stories of both attraction and warning.

These sessions welcome all skill levels and provide a guided experience to creatively capture the unique details of each insect, from their delicate wings to their intricate surface textures, using the natural beauty of insects as inspiration while learning new digital techniques.

Held monthly in the Learning Lab, Digital Art Class blends art, science and technology, where participants can explore digital drawing on iPad Pros.

Dr Claire Keely

Collection Manager, Invertebrates

Claire Keely will join us for a short introduction to Entomology and some specimens she works with. She currently helps manage the remarkable Invertebrate Collections—both terrestrial and marine—at Museums Victoria. With a lifelong passion for invertebrates, Claire has been fortunate to hold roles across both live and preserved collections. Her experience includes caring for live invertebrates as an animal keeper in Live Exhibits, as well as managing preserved specimens in their current position.

Sketch ancient life from the Museum’s collection in this month’s Digital Art Class. 

From the delicate impressions of Ediacaran life to the mighty jaws of Ice Age megafauna, fossils offer extraordinary glimpses into Earth’s deep past. Since the dawn of palaeontology, artists and scientists have worked together to bring these vestiges to life – and now, with digital tools, that legacy continues in vivid detail. 

Join us as Dr Thomas H. Rich, Senior Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology at Museums Victoria and co-author of The Artist and the Scientists, introduces a curated selection of palaeontological treasures from the Museum’s collection. These fascinating specimens, ranging from prehistoric marine creatures to Ice Age giants, reveal unique textures, forms and stories to interpret. Whether tracing the surface of ancient fossils or reimagining long-extinct creatures, every specimen provides a powerful canvas of detail. 

This guided digital art class is designed for all skill levels, blending art, science and technology. Using iPad Pros in the Learning Lab, participants will explore digital techniques while creatively capturing the prehistoric past. 

Dr Thomas H. Rich

Dr Thomas “Tom” Hewitt Rich is Senior Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology at Museums Victoria. Since moving to Australia in the 1970s, he has led groundbreaking research on polar dinosaurs, Mesozoic mammals and Ice Age megafauna, transforming our understanding of Australia’s prehistoric past. He is also co-author, with Patricia Vickers-Rich and Peter Trusler, of The Artist and the Scientists: Bringing Prehistory to Life.