The Coolest Coat

Drawing a Jaguar In Colored Pencil and Ink

Prints, posters, stationery cards, and signed fine art reproductions  

are available for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

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Jaguar. 11x17"  Colored Pencil and ink on paper

I believe when you find something you like to do, do it over and over again. So this is the third time I've drawn a jaguar recently, and drawing this beautiful animal is something I throughly enjoy doing every time I do it. The first two drawings I did of this cat were in black ink, so taking it on this time in color was a very different challenge. Working in color is very different from the graphic quality of black and white. It involves looking at the subject in a different way. Lighting, shape, texture are achieve differently from using only black ink. 

I just love the coat on a Jaguar. The patterns and color on a jaguar are second to none, and drawing the intricate detail is exactly the kind of drawing I like to do.

Some of the supplies I work with including inks and colored pencils

I used both ink and colored pencil on this piece. I still like using black ink for all of my dark darks. The black colored pencils just don't achieve the blacks I like.

The original photograph by Luis Urena that I used as reference

With such an complex and detailed fur coat the jaguar is a marvel of beauty. The photo I used as reference was graciously provided by Luis Urena. He's a photographer and Wildlife conservationist from Panama. Thank you Luis for the use of your beautiful photograph!

Photo Copyright © 2013 Luis Urena

Summit Park wildlife rehabilitation center, Panama

Here are some photos taken during my drawing process

Here's the finished drawing

Prints, posters and signed fine art reproductions are available 

for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

One Cool Kitty-Kat

Drawing an Ocelot

Prints, posters, stationery cards, and signed fine art reproductions  

are available for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

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Ocelot. 11x17" Ballpoint Pen and Ink wash

I recently visited our local county zoo at Van Saun Park in Paramus, New Jersey which has an Ocelot in captivity, and as soon as I saw it, this amazing looking animal had "draw me" written all over it! Beautiful patterns cover this small cat. Also know at the dwarf leopard, just a perfect nickname, the ocelot looks very much like a domestic cat, but with an amazing patterned fur coat that resembles a jaguar or leopard. So when I started sketching out a composition I really wanted to capture this crossover between domestic and wild animals. I love how house cats patiently sit in a position staring at something intensely, and at any moment they snap out of that trance and pounce with incredible speed. So i decided to try to capture that moment right before they jump! 

Living throughout South and Central America Ocelots have been sighted as far north as southern Texas and Arizona. Ocelots were killed in the Hundreds of Thousands for their fur and were classified as "vulnerable" until 1996 when they were protected. They are now considered "least concern" due to these conservation efforts. They are nocturnal and very territorial. Ocelots have been know to be kept as pets, and Salvador Dali being the most famous owner traveled with his pet Ocelot named "Babou". 

Salvador Dali and his pet Ocelot "Babou"

Here are some photos taken during my drawing process

Here's the finished drawing

Prints, posters and signed fine art reproductions are available 

for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

A Spring Snow

Drawing a Snow Leopard

Prints, posters, stationery cards, and signed fine art reproductions  

are available for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

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Snow Leopard. 11x17" Ballpoint Pen and Ink wash

The ultimate cool cat! The Snow Leopard is one of those animals that looks too beautiful to be true. Almost like an apparition, it is extremely elusive and secretive, lives in remote mountainous regions, and is incredibly well camouflaged which makes it very hard to see. Sadly it is also extremely endangered with estimates of only 4,000 to 7,000 left in the wild today. In 2008 it was placed on the Red List of threatened species. For all those reasons I just had to add this majestic cat to my list of "Big Cat" drawings. It has always been one of my favorites.

Snow Leopard. original photograph by Anthony Festa

The inspiration for this drawing came directly from an amazing photograph that Anthony Festa took of a Snow Leopard. Anthony is a friend and amazing photographer. He does landscape, nature, and wildlife photography and his work is stunning! He graciously gave me permission to use his work as reference. You can see and purchase his photos on his website at selectimagesphotographycom. Thanks again Anthony for you generosity! The only thing I decided to change from the photo was that to Snow Leopard's look appeared slightly timid to me, so I tried to achieve a more confident stare and demeanor. I hope I was successful.

This time I took a lot more photos as I progressed through the drawing. Since people have been asking me more about my working process I thought more pictures will make it clearer. On this piece I started with a fine pencil sketch of the basic outline of the Leopard. After that the pencil is exchanged for my pen. It's all pen work from this point on. I usually always start some where on the animals face. This gives me the opportunity to breath life into the drawing, and then I slowly expand to finish the overall body. Drawing fur has always been a challenge for me. I feel I gained some knowledge this go around. I work from light to dark and begin by applying very little pressure to the pen as I let it glide across the paper. This let me draw the finest of lines. To achieve the darker areas I slowly build up those areas with layers of lines. After I have finished the inking of the animal I start brushing in the background with india ink. I love cutting out the animal. It almost feels like creating a sculpture to me. I do this with Pro Art India Ink. It's very thick and covers the papers quickly. I've noticed that different bottles have different consistencies of thickness, so I mix them to get that perfect flow. Thanks again for dropping by, and taking the time to visit my blog! It's onto the next animal for me!

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: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Star of the Stripes

Portrait of a Tiger

Prints, posters and signed fine art reproductions are available 

for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Tiger. 11x17" Ballpoint Pen and Ink wash

By now you know I love drawing any animal with spots, but one with stripes comes in a very close second. A tiger has been on my list for a long time, so I'm really glad to be able to check this one off. Each time As I start a drawing of yet another incredible animal I dive into research about it's history, current condition, behavior and general facts. And over and over again I seem to always find out how few of these amazing animals are left in the wild. Here's the breakdown by subspecies of the tiger that are still out there: 

Bengal tiger: Less than 2,000
Indochinese tiger: 750-1,300
Siberian tiger: Around 450
Sumatran tiger: 400-500
Malayan tiger: 600-800
South Chinese tiger: Extinct in the wild
Caspian tiger: Extinct
Javan tiger: Extinct
Bali tiger: Extinct

Unbelievable right! Such an incredibly, majestic, and beautiful creature hunted nearly out of existence for their body parts. Out of nine subspecies of tiger the last 3 are extinct, one is extinct from the wild, and the rest are endangered. Something all of us should be aware of. 

Tigers are the largest cat species. They can weight up to 700 pounds and can leave up to 26 years. At the turn of the 20th century there were around 100,000 tigers, now in the wild, the estimate is between 3,000 to 4,000. 

Just beginning with the face

Close up of the eye

Working on the ears and whiskers

The head getting closer to completion

Just love the quality of the Moleskin paper. 

Inking in the background

My work space and tools

The final drawing (click on it for a larger view)

The final head

A detail of the final eye

Prints, posters and signed fine art reproductions are available 

for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt