Sketching–Joseph Smith Memorial

While I was at boys camp a few weeks ago, I took the opportunity to visit the birth place of Joseph Smith and do a sketch of the memorial. It is a beautiful location in Sharon, Vermont-very peaceful.

Bow Tie Guy of the Week–The Amur Leopard

Amur Leopard (äˈmo͞or ˈlepərd)

The Amur Leopard is the most endangered large cat in the world. They live along the Amur river in northeastern Asia. A large part of this river forms the boundary between Russia and China. The Amur Leopard is largely at risk due to poaching for their fur.

There are only 57 known to live in the wild, placing it on the critically endangered list. The good news is this number has doubled since 2007 when there were only around 30 in the wild. 

From a personal artistic perspective, I found that I really struggled with drawing the cat. I am not satisfied with it and will need to do more studies of cats in general. 

For more information on the Amur Leopard you can visit World Wildlife Foundation Web site here. 

Restaurant Sketching

A quick sketch while waiting for a check at a restaurant. Julia and I took our youngest daughter to lunch as a celebration of her good grades this past grading period. I couldn't resist drawing the woman sitting across from us.

Sketching at VINS-Snowy Owl

A few weeks ago i visited the Vermont Institute of Natural Science to spend time studying the raptors they have rescued. It was a wonderful visit. You can see some other owls I sketched here. This is the Snowy Owl they rescued.

Sketching Horeses

Here are a few pages from my sketch book. I took an afternoon a few weeks ago to do some horse studies. 

Bow Tie Guy of the Week–Narwhal (IF Sharp)

Narwhal (ˈnärwəl)

The narwhal is a small whale that lives in the arctic. For many it is thought of as the unicorn of the sea. The horn is actually a twisted tusk that develops from one of its teeth. Only the male grows the tusk. Sometimes it can grow as long as ten feet. In a few instances two tusks are grown. 

This is the first of my endangered species bow tie guys. The World Wildlife Organization lists them as near threatened there are more than 80,000 in existence today. They are threatened by climate change, oil and gas development and ocean noise. If you want to find out more about this wonderful sea creature you can visit the World Wildlife Federation's website here. 

This is also submitted for Illustration Friday's word “sharp.”

The Letter P

Over the past few years I have been slowly working on an alphabet series. You can see D, Q, S, and W at the link provided. This is part of a series call “A is for Alliteration.”

The title for this is “A peculiar pair precariously placed within a pumpkin patch in a predicament of a plethora of pouring pineapples and pomegranates perilously pelting pretty, puny, purple and pink polka-dotted parasols.” I think the title says it all.

I will be working on the letter “B” for the next one. That should be completed before December as it will be exhibited in the faculty exhibit at Lyndon State College. The Subject of the exhibit is Blue.

This is also this weeks submission to Illustration Friday for the word of the week, “Danger.”