Karma Chameleon

Drawing a Chameleon...Again

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

are available for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Chameleon. 11x17" Ballpoint Pen and Ink wash

Well, if you don't feel completely satisfied, try again…right? I did a drawing of a Chameleon last year, and I just wasn't satisfied with the detail and composition of it. I wanted to express my fascination for these incredible little creatures with a more up-close and personal look at the amazing detail a Chameleon possesses. And this drawing ended up becoming the most time intensive drawing I have done so far. I probably put over 30 hours of time completing this work. But as most of you that follow me know, time is not an issue when doing a drawing. I don't rush a drawing and enjoy a long and time-consuming creative process. And this piece demanded a level of patience that I throughly enjoyed experiencing. I approach a drawing like this one scale at a time, trying never to rush it. To some people this would be torture, but to me it is relaxing, enjoyable, meditative, and peaceful.

Where to start about Chameleons. The facts about these reptiles are mesmerizing! There are 160 different species of Chameleons, which half of them live on the island of Madagascar. Their eyes can rotate and swivel independently to let them see a complete 360-degrees. Their tongues can be as long as their bodies and move at ballistic speeds. They can change color, which serves as a form of communication. CRAZY! and if that wasn't enough:

• Chameleons have ultraviolet vision

• Chameleons vary in size from 0.6 of an inch to 30 inches

• They have no outer ears but can detect sounds in the frequency range from 200-600 Hz

• Chameleons can live up to 10 years

With all of those amazing abilities, Chameleons are the coolest of the cool when it comes to reptiles! I'm sure every Chameleon owner out there would agree. Below are some pictures I took as my Chameleon drawing came to life. As always thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog and look at my work. Your support is a huge inspiration to me.

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