Tag: sketches

Great White Shark color sketch

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20170709_greatwhitesketchSharks are one of the most misunderstood animals; great whites are one of the most feared animals, and current conservation status is Vulnerable. There is a lot we don’t know about sharks, because it’s difficult to observe them and they are difficult to keep in captivity. Great white sharks don’t feed and often die in captivity; the Monterey Bay aquarium has had some success getting them to feed, but has not kept them for a long period of time. Sharks are caught just for the fins (in a practice where the fin is cut off and the shark tossed back to die, which is one of the most cruel practices I can imagine) or get tangled in fishing nets as a result of by catch. Great white sharks are the top of the ocean food chain, and are important to keeping oceans healthy.

Follow this link to dispel some other shark myths!

Steller’s Jay Color Study

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20170626_stellarjay_colorstudy

To anyone who has ever been camping or picnicing (generally being outside with food) anywhere in the western US, you’ve met a Steller’s Jay. They sit up in trees and squawk very loudly, then suddenly they are swooping down majestically to steal food. Once while camping in King’s Canyon, they stole our bacon out of the hot frying pan while it was still cooking.

Despite their annoying behavior, they are beautiful, with black, high crested heads and bright blue bodies and wings. Being members of the Corvidae family, they are in the family as rooks, magpies, crows and ravens, and are very smart.

In my color study, I wanted to capture the high contrast of the bright blue against their shiny black feathers

Today is Endangered Species Day!

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Today is Endangered Species Day, a day to bring awareness of the many vulnerable creatures around the world who are losing their habitats due to human actions. More and more species are being affected by our actions: acidifying oceans, melting sea ice, forest logging and warming temperatures, and extreme weather. 20170519_framedcondorToday however I’d like to highlight a success story: the California Condor. I wrote a blog post about a month ago; I sketched the condor because I wanted to bring awareness to this bird, and because I think the shape of the head contrasting with it’s black plumage is very dramatic and beautiful. Now in celebration of Endangered Species day, I’m offering this sketch for sale as a print.  It’s available framed and unframed. Remember 10% of the purchase price always goes to NRDC to help endangered animals, wild places, and combat climate change.

For more information and ways to help endangered animals, here are some links.

http://www.endangered.org/action/

https://www.nrdc.org/get-involved