Eight Days a Week

Drawing a Octopus In Colored Pencil and Ink

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

are available for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Octopus. 11x17"  Colored Pencil and ink on paper

As I began to do research on this drawing of an octopus, I became overwhelmed at the possibilities of colors to use. The octopus is part of a group of cephalopods that are skilled in the art of color change. And as I poured through different pictures of octopus I was amazed to see how many colors variations they can achieve. As I read more about them I learned that octopuses also have extremely well developed eyes that detect both the color and intensity of light. By using their excellent vision they can create color patterns that match the seafloor around them therefore being able to become camouflaged from predators. 

I noticed that their skin patterns looked very similar to the patterns in stained glass and decided to try to make my octopus appear to be made out of stained glass. And while looking at stained glass for patterns I came across the colors for my art piece. 

The piece of stained glass which inspired my colors for the octopus

So I now knew what colors to use, and the patterns I wanted to make, so now all I had to do was do it. Easier said then done, this go around. This drawing was probably one of the most labor intensive pieces I've created. I think it took me on and off over 2 weeks to complete. But I really enjoyed creating this one. I learned a lot about color and textures.

I'm finding out that people really do have an attraction for octopus. Theirs just something about a creature that has eight arms, can change color, squirt ink and squeeze itself into a bottle that is simply amazing!

This is also the piece that inspired me to offer my work printed on home goods. I've had a lot of requests for different products with my art on them, so I set up a store on society6.com. You can visit it here where you will find all of my animal drawings not only as prints and framed prints, but as phone cases, throw pillows, tot bags, shower curtains, etc. 

You can buy my octopus on various home goods at society6.com

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: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

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

Lemur Lines

Drawing a Ring-tailed Lemur

Prints, posters, signed fine art reproductions, and cards are available 

for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Ring-tailed Lemur. 11x17" Ballpoint Pen and Ink wash

I started drawing a Ring-tailed Lemur on March 30th, without any idea that it was the first day of "Lemur Week". Lemur Week runs from March 30th to April 5th, and I found this out after one of my Facebook page followers named, Carol Smith-Nichols told me. Thanks Carol! Not only for informing me, but also following my Facebook page at facebook.com/timjeffsart. I really appreciate it. 

The drawing I did was commissioned for a large donor of Duke Universities Lemur Center, the largest sanctuary for prosimian primates in the world. You can visit their site at: lemur.duke.edu.  It's an 85-acre sanctuary for rare and endangered primates located in Durham, North Carolina. The Duke Lemur Center is the world’s largest and most diverse collection of lemurs – Earth’s most endangered group of mammals – outside of Madagascar. The Duke Lemur Center advances science, scholarship, and biological conservation through interdisciplinary research, community-based conservation and public outreach.

Lemurs are only found on the African Island of Madagascar, and there are over 100 species. The word Lemur derives from the word Lemures, which mean "ghosts or spirit" from Roman mythology. They are threatened by a host of environmental problems including deforestation, hunting, live capture of exotic pet trade and climate change. 16% of Lemurs are Critically Endangered, 23% are Endangered, 25% are listed as vulnerable  and 28% are Data Deficient.

Also, don't miss the IMAX 3D movie about Lemurs which opened on Friday April 4th. It looks amazing and is an in dept look at Lemur in the wild.! Check out the Hi-Def trailer at: islandoflemurs.imax.com

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

Jenna's "Isadora"

Drawing a 3-toed Sloth

Prints, posters, signed fine art reproductions, and cards are available 

for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

"Isadora" the 3-toed Sloth. 11x17" Ballpoint Pen and Ink wash

When I asked my daughter Jenna which animal I should draw next she didn't hesitate for second, she said a Sloth! And not only did she say a sloth she said "Isadora". Jenna has an extremely deep love of sloths. And actually the sloth that was the model for this ink drawing was one that Jenna literally had a up close encounter with while me and my family were vacationing in Costa Rica last summer. Costa Rica is incredible! If you haven't gone yet, GO! The people are so friendly, the landscape is amazing, the rain forests are captivating, the wildlife diverse and spectacular. 

Jenna had a mission on her trip to Costa Rica. Finding her very own sloth in the wilderness all by herself. As we spent the week going from the volcanic mountainous area of Arenal, to the cloud forest of Monteverde, to the coastal rainforest of Manual Antonio Jenna's eyes were peeled for a sloth hanging in the tree tops. On the 2nd day of our trip she saw her first wild sloth moving from one tree to another, but it was spotted by someone else riding in a van on our way to catch a boat ride across Lake Arenal, so to Jenna this didn't count. Over the next few days we had 3 more sightings. Two sightings by our rain forest guide in the Monteverde Cloud Forest, and one by a Coffee plantation worker while visiting Don Juan. Again, these didn't count for Jenna. 

She was getting discouraged and by our very last day her hope had pretty much faded. After a very long and beautiful walk in Manual Antonio National Park through the coast rain forest we stopped on the beach for a picture in front of an iguana that was sunning itself. Just as I finished taking the picture Jenna screamed (with Joy). A sloth was climbing down the tree directly behind her and was already almost at her eye level. She was the first to see it, she claimed it as hers and named it on the spot..."Isadora".

Sloths are incredible creatures to watch in the wild if you are lucky enough to see them when they are on the move. Their movements are so slow and deliberate it is almost to hard to explain. You have to see it with your own eyes. We stopped and watched Isadora in amazement for almost an hour. It was truly a special moment. 

I'm not going to go into details about sloths here. But if you really want a good read about this amazing animal read this article The Sloth’s Busy Inner Life from the New York Times. It explain them in a whole other light.

And if you want to help sloths you can make donatations to the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica.

Jenna sighting her very own Sloth in Costa Rica
and naming it "Isadora"

"Isadora" climbing right down the tree to her

"Isadora" stops and poses for the camera

The green color in their fur is actually a species of algae

"Isadora" changing trees

A close up

"Isadora" stops to look back at us from her new spot high up in a tree

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