Personifying birds and frogs comes easy to artist Natalie Groves. Just don’t ask her to draw a horse.
“As a kid, I drew realistic horses nonstop. I don’t draw them anymore because their hooves make it hard for them to do anything charming—like drinking tea,” said Groves, best known for her playful animal illustrations.
Earlier this year, Groves opened her own art studio in the heart of downtown Solvang, on the second floor of the Book Loft, adjacent to the Hans Christian Andersen Museum. If you were to stop by sometime over the next few weeks, chances are you’d catch her working on an illustrated tribute to the Danish author, featuring a handful of his fairy tale characters.
Groves said the piece should be ready just in time for Solvang’s Christmas tree lighting in December—fitting, as the Andersen characters are depicted as parading toward the town tree, “laden with candles, Danish flags, ribbons, and fruit garlands,” Groves described.
Solvang and the town staples that define it, including the Book Loft specifically, hold many fond childhood memories for Groves, although she grew up in Portland, Oregon.
“My dad is originally from Santa Barbara, so my family made many trips here,” Groves said. “As a kid, I visited the Book Loft with my granny and grandpa, who were both avid readers.”
As an avid reader herself, Groves became entranced by the fanciful animal-centric works of Beatrix Potter and Jan Brett as a child, which continue to influence her whimsical style as an illustrator.
Shortly after graduating from high school in Oregon, Groves moved to California. One of her first jobs upon moving to Santa Barbara was at the Trader Joe’s on De La Vina Street. She started as a crew member and later became the store’s chalk artist as well—her first art gig, in a professional sense.
“When our chalk artist left, they offered me the job. It was a huge learning curve designing chalkboards and producing them efficiently. I had to learn the medium, find a style that was consistent, bold, and fast, and from there, keep up with deadlines,” said Groves, who kept the job for three years, working mostly with NuPastels. “It was so much fun and a wonderful environment to grow in. I loved everything about working with chalk.”
Nowadays, Groves’ medium of choice is watercolor, although her pieces usually start with a pencil, especially when dealing with furry subjects.
“I love the texture of animal fur. I get really detailed, starting with a brown colored pencil, then layering with watercolor,” said Groves, although she finds feathers to be easier to illustrate.
“For some reason, illustrating any kind of bird is a cinch, so I never worry over them,” said Groves, who added that “after a lot of work,” she grew to love illustrating frogs as well.
“Their arms and legs are so squishy and fun if you get them going in the right directions,” said the artist, whose original frog characters include the banjo-yielding Wide Mouth Froggy and Pierre the French Frog, who she usually depicts in one of the five basic ballet positions.
As she continues to be inspired by literature and the magical worlds it can transport readers to, Groves hopes that her illustrations will make their way into a children’s book of her own someday. She’s just looking for the right publisher to partner with.
“Right now I am seeking representation from an agent or agency to introduce me to the publishing world. It’s a matter of finding a publishing house that will pick me up and pair me with a manuscript,” Groves said. “I would prefer to work for a publishing house and with a team of people, rather than self-publish. I love the aspect of collaboration.”
Collaborate with Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 4-10, 2021.