Catching a Crab

Drawing a Blue Crab 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

Blue Crab. 11x17"  Colored Pencil and ink on paper

These little amazing crustaceans are extremely close to my heart. I grew up in Maryland, and all Marylander's know about Blue Crabs. They are a favorite seafood delight to enjoy eating during the summer, and most summers during my childhood my family would have a crab feast. We would make a trip down to the seafood wharf in Washington DC where local fisherman would sell crabs by the bushel. We would haggle between the fisherman to get the best price and head home with a overflowing bushel of crabs ready for the boiling pot. Old Bay seasoning, brown paper table cloths, mallets and claw crackers were all part of an afternoon of hours sitting around picking crabs with friends and family. This is a tradition that I truly miss now living further north in New Jersey were blue crabs are hard to find. If you do find them they now cost a small fortune and are small, not like the jumbo crabs of times past.

My brother Peter as chef during a crab feast

I also spent many hours fishing for crabs with my brother Tony on the coast of Maryland. When ever we had a chance we would head out to the bay with our crab traps, nets, and chicken legs for bait and spend hours trying to get as many crabs as we could. Inevitably getting pitched by a crab as we took them out of the traps. And this crab knows how to pitch! Once they get you they don't let go! They were hard to a catch and on a good day we would get a dozen or so to enjoy as our prize. Crabs are part of my childhood, and they will always be something that I can't wait to enjoy whenever I get the chance. So if you run into someone from Maryland or Virginia ask them about blue crabs. I'm sure you will see their face light up.

Here's some blue crab facts. Their scientific name is "Callinectes sapidus" means "savory beautiful swimmer". A perfect name if you have ever seen one swim. Their life span is 1 to 3 years, and females only mate once in their lifetime. Their range is from Nova Scotia to Argentina. 

Today Blue Crabs populations remain in a serious slump. The number of female crabs has dropped to a dangerously low level. Severe Winter weather along with environmental issues have become the main cause. Overfishing is being control, and lets hope that they can recover and become abundant once again for all to enjoy.

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

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: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

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