Mandla - Work in progress 1

Mandla is a black leopard living at Zion Wildlife Gardens in Kamo Whangarei New Zealand.

This is the first initial stage of the sketch. Mandla will be rendered in pen and ink. This artwork will be donated to the Toyz 4 Zion Cats project on completion.

Kenya

Kenya - Work in progress

Zebra Foal in Pen and Ink

Rabbit in the Spring Grass

Spring Innocence

Beef Cross Calf Work in Progress

Still work in progress using coloured pencils on Bockingford Black Paper

Shikira 2

Shikira 2 - Work in Progress 6

Shikira 2 - Work in Progress 5

Shikira - Work in Progress 4

I've been using 4h pencil up until this stage of the composition. I've now added 2h, H and B to the tonings.

Shikira - work in Progress 3

Shikira 2 - Work in Progress 2

Shikira 2 - Work in Progress 1

Clouded Leopard - Paw Study

Janie

Janie is now finished. I did this composition for enjoyment. Janie resides at the Auckland Zoo Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand

Janie - Work in Progress 4

Janie is now progressing and soon she will be finished. I've used 2H, H and 6B to enhance the darks in the eyes. More yet to go, but this composition is now coming together.

Janie - Work in Progress 3

A lack of time this last week stopped me from continuing on with Janie until today. I've added the cage bar to give a hard edge and reflect the plight of a captive animal in an old style zoo enclosure. Janie is too used to her old enclosure and after attempts to integrate her and the other former tea party chimpanzees into a group situation it was decided to leave Janie and her friends where they were. Janie is the last of the tea party chimps. She is the reminder of when apes like her were considered unintelligent and there only for entertainment.

I'm still using 2H and H at this stage on this drawing.

Janie - Work in Progress 2

I've added in more detail to Janie now using H and H pencil at this stage to enhance the darks.

Janie - Work in Progress 1

I've known of Janie all of my life. She resides at Auckland Zoo, Auckland , New Zealand. This is the first stage of the composition. Pencil Grades used 2H,h,HB & B.

Number 27 (at the end of the row)

I had great pleasure in doing this composition. Unfortunately this image isn't the best to show the original at its best. I used mainly 2H,H,HB,2B and 6B for the final part of the rendering for the eye. This cow was on the end of the row in my friends milking shed one afternoon when I was visiting.

Number 27 at the end of the row - Work in progress 1

Living on a farm of course I do tend to draw cows from time to time. But this one went from sketch to full on rendering. So I'm going to finish it anyway. I like farming and the lifestyle that goes with it. This cow is a Fresian. She was on the end of the row at my friend's dairy farm when I took several photos of her and the others. 2H,H,HB,B so far.

Summer - Study sketch

Good friends of mine own a dairy farm not too far from my own place. Last year a tiny calf was born and she was named Summer. I took a few photos of her and this is based on one of them. I have trouble drawing human forms so this was a good way to get in some practice in case I every decide to start including people in anything I do in the future. I haven't narrowed myself to just drawing animals. I'm also making as much effort as possible to get out and sketch from life as well.

Song of the Ice Wolf - Work in Progress 4

"How lonely is the night without the howl of a wolf."
~ Unknown

I've learned so much about this piece. How to render and how not to render. I still have a further amount to do but overall he is almost finished. I haven't done a wolf before - not like this. I think I need to study more wolves and do more in order to understand further the nature of how they come together. However I have really enjoyed seeing this beautiful creature come to life from the blackness of the paper

Song of the Ice Wolf - Work in Progress 3

"Only a mountain has lived long enough to listen objectively to the howl of a wolf."
~ Aldo Leopold"

Slowly but surely this wolf is coming to life. I've rendered yet more layers over the darks. I've learned a lot from this composition and perhaps a little more about myself.

Song of the Ice Wolf - Work in Progress 2

We listened for a voice crying in the wilderness. And we heard the jubilation of wolves!”
~ Durwood L. Allen

Now I've managed to set the layers I've started to put more definition to the fur and the features of this wolf. It's taken some thinking and study plus a lot of patience to understand how this composition is evolving. So far so good. He still looks like a wolf. I've added in further tones of warm and cold greys, black, blue and a very light pink, plus a very light ochre then over laid again with warm grey and lots of white.

Song of the Ice Wolf - Work in Progress 1

"Anyone who has ever heard it when the land was covered with a blanket of snow and elusively lighted by shimmering moonlight, will never forget the strange, trembling wolf cry."
~ Unknown

The wolf has always held a place in legend. Revered or reviled this majestic predator has existed for millions of years. The wolf is considered a totem animal in many cultures. Wolves have been hunted and exterminated from many regions of the world. Man has a bad flaw of destroying anything our species cannot or does not want to understand. The wolf is the wilderness we cannot tame nor should we try to.

This is the first stage of the rendering. Medium: Coloured pencil on Black Bockingford Paper.

Serengeti Dreamer - Work in Progress 2

Again I haven't been able to get a decent image today of this piece. Things have progressed further now from the preliminary sketch. I've now rendered in the main detail with various shades of greys, browns and oranges plus ochre. The colours in this image are not true to the original work.

Serengeti Dreamer - Work in Progress 1

Sorry about the poor quality of the photograph. I've started a second work for the Lion Aid Fundraising auction for March of this year. Here's Stage one with the sketch and the start of the rendering. Medium coloured pencil on Blockingford Black Pastel paper

The White King

I've really enjoyed doing this portrait. Everything has come together brilliantly. He will soon be going to Lion Aid in the UK for charity auction. He wasn't a practice drawing - but a serious study of an adult African Lion. I've learned a lot from this portrait and hope to learn more from the next work I do. This has been a joy for me to see this beautiful lion finished. Special thanks to the wonderful team at Zion Wildlife Gardens for their kindness in allowing me to photograph their incredible big cats.

The White King - Work in Progress 4

This magnificent adult male lion is at last coming to life. I'm now bringing more definition to the mane and features using various greys and even blues into the mix. I have really enjoyed doing this piece. More so that the I have met the actual Lion this work is based upon. Laduma is a magnificent Lion in real life.

The White King - Work in Progress 3

Slowly but surely he's becoming what he should be. I've never done a white lion before so this is a first. I had to scan him this time because my camera battery was flat. Scans never do the true image any justice at all..

The White King - Work in Progress 2

I can see problems here with this. I'll have to rerender part of it to force the darks out and get some definition. Other than that it's progressing quite well.

The White King - Work in Progress 1

Shia - Work in Progress 2

Shia - Work in Progress 1

I'm not certain how this will turn out. 3H,2H and H pencil are being used at this point for the first part of the rendering.

Shia is the sister to Zion. Both were born in 1999 and were hand raised from cubs. Sadly on the 4th of December 2009 Shia passed away of natural causes. Zion still resides at Zion Wildlife Gardens Whangarei Northland the park is named after him.

Shikira

She's finally finished but this photo does the detail in the drawing no justice nor the shadings I'll try and get a better image of this.

Shikira - Work in Progress 7