 He was the first major bird artist to draw birds from real live birds, instead of skins.Lear's first publication, published when he was 19 years old, was "Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots" in 1830.One of the greatest ornithological artists of his era, he taught Elizabeth Gould whilst also contributing to John Gould's works and was compared by some to the naturalist John James Audubon.