FINISHED *Sri Lankan leopard drawing*

Presenting ' KOTIYA ' Sri Lankan leopard

 

' KOTIYA ' Sri Lankan leopard graphite drawing
original 12" x 8"

Here he is completed finally! As with each piece of art I do I've learnt so much about my evolving technique, and the importance of understanding your subject. The Sri Lankan leopard is colloquially known as 'Kotiya', this is a sub-species of leopard native to Sri Lanka, and is the countries top predator. Sadly it is an endangered big cat, ongoing struggles with poaching, habitat loss and human-leopard conflict. Despite these threats the Kotiya is highly adaptable to live within close proximity to human life. Further research into the Sri Lankan leopard is needed for any conservation measure to be effective.

I have enjoyed using this paper for my drawing, I feel comfortable as it is the same paper I use for my paintings. I think the texture lifts the drawing somewhat, yes the backdrop is a little irregular and probably takes a bit longer to even out than on a smooth surface, occasionally having to look at the texture to fill in the 'dips' with pencil and to not put too much pressure on the 'bumps' if that makes sense! However in regard to the fur and probably skin when I draw my next ellie I think it's really effective and gives another 3d quality to it. Not everyone gets on with textured paper for pencil drawings, but I now know I like it :) I hope you've enjoyed watching him come to life! Jules

Thankyou Arjan for your wonderful photo reference :)

DSWF great news!

I'm over the moon to announce that my two paintings 'Melting Diamonds' and 'Far Eastern Emerald' made it to the final round of judging in the 'David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation' wildlife artist of the year competition! The competition is open worldwide and always has an excellent response. They both narrowly missed out on being selected to hang in the exhibition at the Mall Galleries London, but I am absolutely thrilled for them to have been recognised by their panel of expert judges (including artists, conservationists, critics and dealers) to have reached that far in the judging process :) particulary as these paintings were not prepared especially for the competition itself.

They will both be presented in the 'Art Folder' which will feature some of the entries that just missed the exhibition, copies of the folder will be available for the duration of the exhibition for potential purchasers. Should it result in a sale a commission will be taken to benefit the foundation to help save endangered wildlife. I'm very excited and will try my hardest to visit the exhibition this year which I will hopefully be able to write up a blog post on for those unable to make it :)

SL leopard progress - ear detail

Here I have drawn in his ear, it is the important part of his features that links face to neck. It is also one of the hardest and largest areas of the picture. I'm really disciplining myself to finish this drawing before starting my new cougar painting!

SL leopard progress - face markings

I have now more or less completed his face markings, I will move on to his ear next. I am pleased with how he is progressing and pleased I have survived getting through his whiskers successfully! The paper always looks more textured than it does by taking photos instead of scanning it - as the light is hitting it from one side creating faint shadowing to the texture, the texture is not so apparent on the actual piece :)

SL leopard progress - full head

Here you can see the full head shape of the leopard, it lent toward another one of my favourite picture sizes 12" x 8", the eye is approx. 1" across, a petite handsome fella :) large enough to capture the amount of detail I wanted. I have continued work on the background colouring and mapping out spot placement. One of the main aspects that drew me to this image was the change in fur direction and movement, as the twist of the neck allows for different strokes of fur. I am trying to complete areas before moving on to the next.

SL leopard progress - eye detail

Hello Everyone :) Here I have built up the eye detailing and creating depth to the fur on the cheek, I am currently working with 3B / F / 3H pencil grades. He is a young leopard so inbetween having a cub / adult look and features. I've missed having his eye to encourage me with the drawing and bring life to the picture, with most drawings I will tend to work across the page whereby main features of the face will come later on.

SL leopard progress - nose and whiskers

Quick update on this drawing. I'm building up the backdrop, balancing it with the lighter tones in the leopards face. Mapping out all the whiskers that overlap the spots on his face is taking a long time but I'll keep going! Join me on facebook by clicking on the fb tab above - this will take you directly to my profile :)