Tapir-ing Off
Drawing a Baby Tapir
Prints, posters and signed fine art reproductions are available
for purchase in my Etys shop at:
Baby Tapir. 11x17" Ballpoint Pen and Ink wash
When it comes to my list of favorite animals it starts with
1) Rhino, 2) Elephant, and 3) tapir. I love animals that look like they've
lived on the planet since the dinosaurs ruled, and these three creatures
definitely fit that role perfectly. The tapir showed up about 20-30 million
years ago, and are actually decedents of rhinoceroses and horses. That's
pretty cool fact!
Something that always struck me about the tapir is the
contrasting look between an adult tapir and the infant. The infant tapir
has an incredible camouflage spot pattern that is so unique and only last
during infancy, while the adult has a very plain looking hide. The detailed patterning hinds the baby from predators, and is lost as the
tapir matures. Naturally I had to draw a baby. Their extremely cool
looking black and white pattern on the baby tapir just screamed "draw
me"!
Besides my aquatic creatures, this was one of my first full body animal drawings. I always find it challenging to draw the whole animal
since so much of my art focuses in on the extreme detail of the
animals features. But this time it just worked so well. I hope to do a whole
series of full body animals too, so I'll consider this one the first in a
series.
Today, all four species of tapir are considered to be
endangered. This is mainly due to deforestation and habitat loss, and over
hunting of tapirs by humans.
Here are some photos taken during my drawing process
Prints, posters and signed fine art reproductions are available
for purchase in my Etys shop at:
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